


Blue Ribbon Boy

by cravatty (averyblue)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Gen, M/M, MANSAE AU, side Verkwan and Jeongcheol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 12:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8800417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/averyblue/pseuds/cravatty
Summary: His friends are head over heels for the new girl (while others aren't happy about it). Mingyu, meanwhile, wants to get Jisoo's attention.[MANSAE highschool!AU]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i was inspired by mansae's mv because it has a little story in it and yeah XD i was lol-ing at how wonwoo and s. coups are after the same girl so this idea was born! i also love minshua so yeah XD and tons of friendship between the boys because they're all so adorable ;w;
> 
> Q: why is the title of the story 'blue ribbon boy'?  
> A: because joshua wears a cute blue ribbon in the mansae vid! 
> 
> also, here's a link to the [cover](http://i.imgur.com/dG8wU3e.png) of the story!

"What happened to your face, Hansol?"

"Slapped."

Jihoon laughs so loudly that Mingyu cannot ignore them any longer. He picks up his pen from his table and taps it on his nose as he eavesdrops. It's so hard for him to keep looking back and forth, but Minghao might signal the others that they're speaking too loudly if Mingyu gets noticed staring for too long.

"You shouldn't have teased her that way. Not everyone likes you immediately, you know," Seungkwan huffs as he sandwiches Hansol's temples with his hands, moving the younger boy's head sideward. "Minghao hyung, Jihoon hyung, do you have something cold? A water bottle, maybe?"

"Well, you liked me immediately, Seungkwan," Hansol chirps, winking at Seungkwan the moment their eyes meet. The latter rolls his eyes and gently pushes Hansol's head away with his pointer finger. Mingyu notices Seungkwan's ears slowly turn red.

He chuckles to himself. No wonder Seungkwan's so worked up over Hansol suddenly being interested in the new girl. 

"You're lucky your cheek is already bruised, or else I will slap it again," the boy hisses. Minghao turns up with a cold bottle of water and Seungkwan quickly grabs it, shoving it on Hansol's reddened cheek almost too violently. 

"Ow! That hurts!"

Mingyu shakes his head and returns his attention to his English homework due tomorrow, wondering if Hansol still plans to woo the new girl. He has seen Hansol getting flocked or followed by girls from other classes, but rarely hears about Hansol going out of his way to chase one.

"Are you doing your English homework this early?" a voice comes from above. Mingyu looks up and meets eyes colored like glistening dark chocolates.

"J-Jisoo hyung," he stammers, and his older classmate laughs softly and gently before walking back to his seat, the sleeve of his gray blazer brushing Mingyu's hand.

A row and two seats right from Mingyu's. That's where Jisoo sits. 

* * *

Mingyu doesn't understand why their homeroom teacher made Wonwoo sit at the front even though he's so tall. He's the second tallest male in class, even! Didn't their teacher have pity on Minghao, who had to sit behind Wonwoo for every class? And why did he have to be alone at the back? It's unfair and he ought to complain about it next time.

He stares at the walls out of boredom, then the clock, then the room speakers. It's so boring without a seatmate, and everyone is busy doing something else with someone else. Well, everyone except Jeonghan, who is just leaning against the wall with crossed arms. Mingyu isn't sure when Jeonghan started doing that regularly, since the long-haired boy is always found socializing during breaks before.

Soonyoung and Junhui are mopping the classroom floor since they are assigned to cleaning duty today, and Soonyoung looks more annoyed than usual. He mumbles something under his breath as he passes Wonwoo's table. Meanwhile, Wonwoo hasn't moved an inch from his seat. His body is slouching forward, and Mingyu guesses that Wonwoo is actually asleep. It's not often his best friend falls asleep during breaks.

His eyes move across the room and sees Hansol sitting properly with his headphones on. Seungcheol and Seokmin are farther across the room, tossing a basketball at each other. With Seokmin perched on the windowsill, Mingyu hopes that Seungcheol won't accidentally hit the window instead (which Mingyu may or may have not done before). In front of him, he overhears Jihoon talking about a song he's trying to compose, while Seungkwan replies with hums after every few seconds.  He glances at them and notices Seungkwan writing on his notebook.

He sees Chan at the opposite corner of the room writing on his notebook too, just like Seungkwan, and Mingyu's eyebrows knit together in confusion. They have already passed their English homework to the teacher’s office and they don’t have any homework due later, so what were they writing anyway?

"Yes, you wrote it correctly! Your Hangul is really improving, Minghao!"

Mingyu's attention quickly moves to the source of the cheerful words. Jisoo claps and keeps his hands together, his smile revealing bright teeth and his chocolate eyes shining with pride. He places a hand on Minghao's shoulder and smiles even wider when Minghao replies with excessive _thank you_ s. Jisoo's other hand points at a page in an open book on Minghao's table, and the Chinese boy focuses back on writing. 

Jisoo watches the blond-haired boy writing, his tender gaze full of patience. His face looks so calm, and his lips are still curled into a soft smile.

Mingyu wonders if Jisoo will ever smile like that because of him.

He gets caught off guard when Jisoo blinks and raises his head, meeting Mingyu's gaze. It's only now that the younger boy realizes he has been staring at Jisoo for quite a while, and he suddenly feels his heart thumping even faster in his chest out of embarrassment. Would Jisoo find him weird for staring? It's even worse knowing that they aren't the closest of friends, even if they have shared some conversations together. Would Jisoo avoid him?

All his worries scurry to the back of his mind when Jisoo gives him a small smile and waves at him, but the beat of his heart still continues ringing in his ear. Mingyu continues staring, his jaw dropping slightly, before he realizes how paralyzed he is from a simple smile from Jisoo. He blinks, feeling heat form on his cheeks, as he smiles back sheepishly.

He raises his hand in hopes to wave back, but a loud thump makes him jump on his seat and face to the front of the room instead.

"Oi, Wonwoo, stop daydreaming!" Soonyoung snaps. "You're supposed to be on cleaning duty too!"

"..."

Wonwoo only nods once in response. Junhui continues mopping the floor while Soonyoung stares down Wonwoo's sleepy form. Mingyu raises a brow when his best friend starts moving on his seat.

He doesn't stand up immediately, but he does glance at the girl's side of the room.

Soonyoung scoffs and begins mopping aggressively towards the other direction. Mingyu shakes his head – it seems Wonwoo's infatuated with the new girl too.

* * *

"So, what were you daydreaming about earlier?"

Mingyu and Wonwoo take three steps forward before Wonwoo raises his head. "I wasn't daydreaming. I was really asleep."

The younger boy laughs. "Then what were you dreaming about?"

It isn't unusual for Wonwoo to stay silent if he didn't want to answer. Mingyu doesn't even expect Wonwoo to tell him about it, but it's worth a try to ask. He takes a deep breath and looks at the orange-painted sky, marveling at how periwinkle slowly seeps into the dusky afternoon sky. If he's lucky, he may have a glimpse of the sunset when he reaches the steps near his house. 

"I dreamt I was under the largest tree in our school courtyard with the new girl," Wonwoo says, surprising the taller boy. "Our hands touched."

His suspicions are finally confirmed - Wonwoo really does have a crush on the new girl. If Hansol is still interested, this may turn into an interesting rivalry, Mingyu thinks. Will Hansol's boyish charms slowly change the girl's mind or will Wonwoo get the chance to court her? Maybe he should ask the opinions of others when Wonwoo reveals it to everyone (since Mingyu doesn't want to be buried alive if Wonwoo wants it to be kept secret instead). A betting pool sounds fun too, but he doesn't want to risk expulsion for that form of gambling.

"Wow. That's... cute," is all Mingyu says. He doesn't really know how to react, considering he doesn't even remember the new girl's name or face, let alone know her personality. "Are you planning to, uh... Won **woo** her?" 

His pun was awarded with a slap on the head. "That was terrible," Wonwoo says.

"Not as terrible as yours! You know what's terrible? You hitting my head," he retaliates in defense, rubbing his new sore spot.

"You deserved it," his friend replies with a smug look. "But... yeah, I'll give it a shot."

As much as he wants to repeat his pun, he doesn't want another bruise. "Good luck. I'm honestly excited to see what you'll do," he says, giving his friend a pat on the back. "But what if Hansol likes her too?"

"Nah. Knowing Hansol, the slap's a sign to stop," Wonwoo replies. Mingyu bites back the urge to laugh at how Wonwoo is so sure of himself. But he doesn't plan on discouraging Wonwoo anyway, since this is the first time his friend admitted to having a crush on anyone. "And besides, Seungkwan would interfere if Hansol tries."

Mingyu shrugs. It is true - he has seen Seungkwan's reaction yesterday.

"What would you do to win someone over?" Wonwoo suddenly asks.

Mingyu's face turns sour. "I don't know because I've never tried?" 

Wonwoo chuckles softly. "Right. I forgot you're still too chicken to talk to Jisoo hyung."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play innocent," Wonwoo says. "I've seen the way you look at Jisoo hyung ever since he helped you look for your missing boxers last year."

Mingyu's face reddens at the memory. "Well, I didn't want to ask you for help since you were the one who hid it."

Wonwoo's smile grows wider as he raises his hands. "Hey, hey, it was Jun hyung and Jeonghan hyung who hid it. I just gave them the idea."

"Enabler," Mingyu mumbles, pouting. The prank is still sharp in his memory for recollection. He had just finished showering after one basketball game, and Wonwoo and his teammates found it hilarious to hide Mingyu's boxers after blocking most of their shots. He had almost ran outside the locker rooms and into the gymnasium out of panic if not for Jisoo, who offered a helping hand just after hearing Mingyu's dilemma. It was the first time he had experienced the older boy's kindness first-hand, and he was very thankful for his help despite how ridiculous the problem had been.

It was also the first time he saw Jisoo's warm smile up closely.

"Anyway, what do you think? Would she like it if I gave her food?" Wonwoo asks, interrupting Mingyu's thoughts.

"I'd definitely like free food," Mingyu answers absentmindedly, still thinking about the warm smile Jisoo gave him one year ago.

_"Thanks, Jisoo hyung. I'm really sorry you had to look for it."_

_"Don't apologize. I wouldn't want you to have a hard time instead."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys play basketball while Wonwoo begins his plan to approach the new girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who read and left kudos!!! and special shoutouts to chickencrust and darbean for the comments!!! :D i'm so happy! i didn't expect a lot to read because minshua is somewhat a rare pair, but i'm really happy on how things are going!
> 
> my semester is done so i can start updating more regularly now. and this fic starts off with mingyu unaware of his feelings, so it'll be quite a long ride.
> 
> you can also find me on my tumblr sideblog bluecarrat.tumblr.com! :D
> 
> now read on!

On Wednesdays, they play basketball.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan are the usual team captains, and Mingyu finds it admirable that they can pull off a healthy, heated rivalry in-game and return to being the closest of friends post-game. The two of them are also notorious for being the most competitive guys in class, with Seungcheol known for his daring leadership and Jeonghan for his calculated strategies. Others often volunteer to try being the captain, but Mingyu will never do so again ever since he and Wonwoo tried, which led to the boxers incident.

Even though he thwarted Wonwoo's ridiculous plan for petty revenge, Mingyu still finds the whole ordeal embarrassing since he almost did streak through the gymnasium with a towel around his hips. If Jisoo never went in the locker room, who knows what would have happened to people’s view on Mingyu's common sense.

Mingyu had never really talked to Jisoo before that incident. And despite how embarrassing he still found it, it was then and there that Mingyu's admiration for the class gentleman began to fully blossom, as he already found Jisoo to be a very talented person. His English skills alone have helped him gain quite a reputation.

Now that he thinks about it, who wouldn't admire Jisoo? Minghao admires him quite a lot as well for tutoring him in English and Hangul. Jihoon often enlists his help when he brainstorms for a song. Hansol mentions how Jisoo gives him great advice when he really needs them. He helps Seungcheol with his duties as the class president, he smiles at Seungkwan’s self-proclaimed quality English, and he keeps Jeonghan and Jun in line when they plot pranks.

Jisoo’s kind and generous and smart and polite. Everybody likes Jisoo. Wonwoo's just misinterpreting Mingyu's admiration, that's all.

Wonwoo should speak for himself, since he's the one head over heels for the new girl. In fact, his newfound crush has made him skip this week's basketball game. Seungcheol and Jeonghan were skeptical as to why Wonwoo would sit this game out, especially with Soonyoung taunting Wonwoo about how he's just afraid Soonyoung would steal the ball from him again. But his best friend calmly declines and sits on the bleachers anyway.

Mingyu knows better, considering how Wonwoo is sitting right beside the new girl. He still can't remember her name.

"Alright. Rock paper scissors to know who chooses first?" Seungcheol asks, even though it's their standard mode for decision making already. 

Jeonghan nods. "I'll use paper, alright?"

Seungcheol shakes his head, smirking. "I'm not falling for your mind games, Jeonghan."

The rest of the boys chorus an "Ooh!" while clapping wildly. Jeonghan is very well known to be the slyest fox behind an angel's face. Despite Seungcheol's words, the two boys are definitely playing mind games and are well aware of it. The eldest boy doesn't mind, as it makes the game more interesting.

In the end, Seungcheol calls Jeonghan's bluff and wins by choosing paper, and he does a little victory dance before Jihoon tells him to hurry up and choose the first player in his team.

"Mingyu!" he calls immediately, and the tall boy makes his way beside Seungcheol. He usually gets called first, if not Seungkwan, and the opposing team would recruit either Seungkwan or Wonwoo then. But now that loverboy is trying to put the moves on the new girl, Jeonghan asks Jisoo and Seokmin if they want to be the tenth player. Seokmin declines to read a book, and Jisoo eventually caves in for everyone’s sake.

"Seungkwan," Jeonghan calls.

"Hansol."

"Jun."

"Minghao."

"Soonyoung."

"Chan."

"Jisoo."

Mingyu watches the older boy slowly walk go the other side of the court and exhales, unaware his lips curl downwards into a visible pout. He has never been teammates with Jisoo yet, even if the older boy usually plays as a substitute, and it seems the trend isn't going to break this early. 

His eyes stay on Jisoo as Seungcheol and Jeonghan discuss with Jihoon, who always referees their games. Jisoo's gaze rests on the floor, his arms crossed. The older boy sways in place as he shifts his weight from one side to another, his feet taking little steps, almost as if he's practicing a dance from memory. 

Mingyu almost jumps in place when he realizes Jisoo now is looking back at him. Jitters form in his gut, and he knows there's something he feels apart from confusion, but he fails to put a finger on it, especially with Jisoo now smiling at him. 

A hand falls on his shoulder, and Seungcheol's voice in the background starts becoming clearer again.

"You okay, Mingyu?" Minghao asks when Mingyu turns to him. He nods and gives a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, just... just wondering why Wonwoo didn't play, that's all," he stammers. Minghao isn't easy to convince with his tone, he realizes, but the boy is considerate enough to let it slide. 

"I think it's because of..." Minghao trails off and points straight at where Wonwoo is sitting. Mingyu fails at stopping a snort.

His friend is finally talking to the girl, and it's the first time he has seen Wonwoo smile so goofily. 

"I thought you'd know," Minghao adds. 

Mingyu shrugs. "He only told me yesterday. I didn’t realize he’s that into her. Did he tell you guys way before?"

The Chinese boy shakes his head. "No, but it was really obvious. He keeps staring at her during class. I should know - I sit behind him."

Mingyu’s eyes widen. Was Wonwoo’s attraction to the girl really that obvious?

"Everyone kinda knows. Jun hyung and Soonyoung hyung have been talking about it since last week, and you know how news quickly spreads with Seungkwan around. And Seungkwan is glad Wonwoo hyung likes her, because Hansol ultimately decided to stop trying to ask her out."

He gawks at Minghao. Despite being the only one Wonwoo has probably told about his crush, everyone has already figured it out before Mingyu ever does. _Talk about being an attentive best friend,_ he thinks in annoyance.

His friend grins and gives him a pat on the shoulder. “It’s not your fault you didn’t notice immediately. Though you may want to be less obvious when you stare at Jisoo hyung or the others will figure things out like we did with Wonwoo hyung.”

Mingyu’s jaw drops even lower. “W-what?” he squeaks, voice obviously cracking. _First Wonwoo, now Minghao?_

Minghao looks at him in confusion. “You’re joking, right?”

The taller boy stares at him, shaking his head and raising his shoulders and hands. He doesn’t even know what he could be joking about.

Minghao rises on his tiptoes and whispers, “You like Jisoo hyung, right?”

“Alright! Let’s start!” Jihoon announces, a loud piercing whistle following suit. Minghao gets pulled away by Chan before Mingyu can say anything, and he slowly walks towards the same direction.

But not before catching a glimpse of Jisoo looking at him. He gives a nod of acknowledgement, and Jisoo walks away with what seems to be a faint smile on his lips.

He shakes his head. Maybe he’s just imagining things. He has time to mull over the fact that his two closest friends think he’s romantically invested in Jisoo.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan stand across each other with smirks on their faces as Jihoon walks between them, ball in hand. Mingyu takes a short glance at Wonwoo, who’s currently twiddling his thumbs and sitting stiffly, his eyes shifting at the side, while the girl’s attention is on her conversation with the other girls.

“Go Jeonghan!” one of the girls squeal, and the rest of them clap while giggling. Seungcheol rolls his eyes as Jeonghan waves at them.

Mingyu chuckles and sees Wonwoo giving him two thumbs up. Mingyu does the same and grins at Wonwoo before returning his attention to Jihoon, who clasps his whistle tightly in his fist before throwing the ball upwards. Seungcheol and Jeonghan jump at the same time, but the former stretches his hand faster and grabs the ball. Mingyu quickly bends his knees and widens his stance – it’s game time.

“Chan!” their leader exclaims, passing the ball with one bounce. The youngest boy quickly catches it with both hands and begins dribbling it while running towards the other end of the court. Mingyu follows, slapping palms with Minghao and Hansol along the way, and makes his way at the side of the court. Seungkwan assumes a blocking stance in front of Hansol right away, much to his amusement, while Jun rushes to Minghao. Both Jeonghan and Soonyoung are chasing after Chan, while Seungcheol stands near the boy holding the ball.

That leaves…

“Hey, don’t step on me, okay?”

Jisoo’s in front of him with his trademark sweet smile, and Mingyu feels his stomach flip.

So much for mulling things over later.

A nervous laugh escapes his lips. Jisoo has only played in six games so far, including this one, and Mingyu never had Jisoo guarding him. It’s always Wonwoo, Jun, Seungcheol, Minghao, or Seokmin, but never Jisoo until today.

“I’ll try,” he replies, laughing again. Jisoo flashes him another smile.

He gulps despite the dryness of his throat.

“Mingyu!” Seungcheol shouts from the other side. The boy raises his head right before Seungcheol throws the ball and gets covered by Jeonghan’s figure. He steps to his right and spins around Jisoo as the ball draws nearer. His fingertips grasp the ball when he reaches the bottom of the basketball hoop, and he slams his palms onto the round mass before jumping and tossing the ball into the air. It hits the glass behind the ring before falling through the net.

“Nice one!” Hansol cheers with a grin. Minghao and Seungcheol smile at him before running again at the opposite direction. Chan gives him a friendly slap on the back before running past him. He follows and hears a loud whistle from the bleachers – Wonwoo’s cheering him on, and he doesn’t need to look to know it.

Jeonghan has the ball from the other side and passes it to Jun when he crosses the center of the court. Minghao runs towards Jun but misses the opportunity to catch the ball when Jun throws it to Soonyoung. Mingyu tries to move closer to Soonyoung to swipe the ball, but Jisoo’s slim figure with arms outstretched swoops in front of him.

Mingyu tries to move around Jisoo again, but the boy moves just as quickly. Soonyoung tosses the ball to Jisoo when both Seungcheol and Chan rush to his direction. Jisoo turns and glances at Mingyu.

He smiles for two seconds, befuddling the taller boy.

But he hears the ball dribble, and Mingyu only realizes that Jisoo bounced the ball through the space between his legs. He looks down, dumbfounded, and up again as he feels someone maneuver around him, Jisoo now out of sight. He turns and sees Jisoo with the ball, dribbling as he runs closer to the hoop. He and Hansol run in the same direction while Seungcheol tries to steal the ball from Jisoo. But Jisoo jumps and throws the ball into the air, and the ball cleanly flies an arc and plummets through the ring and net.

“Very nice!” Seungkwan says loudly in English. Mingyu hears Hansol snort loudly from behind.

His eyes don’t tear away from Jisoo clapping his hands while his teammates send him praises. Their other teammates zoom past Mingyu, but he only moves when his eyes meet with Jisoo’s.

“Thanks for the easy shot!” Jisoo laughs.

Mingyu pouts as he runs to the same direction, thinking why he allowed himself to be distracted. Minghao sends him a look with an eyebrow raised, and Mingyu rolls his eyes. He’s not going to underestimate Jisoo again.

The game continues with Hansol shooting thrice and Chan twice for their team. Minghao has been able to steal the ball from both Seungkwan and Jeonghan. Seungcheol has taken a shot but is mostly on the defensive against Jeonghan, because the silver-haired boy is renowned for his three-point shooting skills. Seungkwan has successfully shot twice, while Jeonghan, Jun, and Soonyoung once each.

Mingyu hasn’t gotten distracted anymore by Jisoo, but he fails to steal the ball whenever Jisoo has it. But then again, he has managed to block one of Jisoo’s shots, but gets caught off guard when Jisoo compliments him for it.

“Nice one, Mingyu!”

He cracks a smile as he runs across the court. Jisoo’s so nice that he says kind things to him even if they’re in opposing teams. It gives him a warm feeling, and Mingyu doesn’t want to question it anymore. He’s having fun, and he’s glad Jisoo’s enjoying himself too.

Seungkwan now has the ball and is trying to move around Hansol. The younger boy keeps laughing when Seungkwan stops midstep with the knowledge he can’t pass without risking Seungcheol’s sudden attack. Jisoo tries to walk closer to them, but Mingyu blocks his path.

He smiles when he hears Jisoo grunt from behind whenever he can’t pass Mingyu. His height and build can give such an advantage at times, even if he’s generally clumsy. He hops left and right while watching Jisoo move around behind him, laughing softly when the older boy tries crossing underneath his outstretched arms but gets blocked anyway.

“Why are you so tall?” he hears Jisoo from behind.

“I… don’t know?” Mingyu replies, and he realizes how dumb his response sounds. Surprisingly, Jisoo chuckles.

“Oh my god!” Seungkwan shrieks in front of them, catching their attention. The ball is bouncing towards the bleachers, and Mingyu guesses either Chan or Minghao slapped the ball too hard.

The ball is headed towards the new girl and Wonwoo looks ready to strike it away, but Seungcheol quickly hits the ball back to their direction and falls body-first onto the court. The girls behind him gasp, but Seungcheol stands up immediately and without a scratch.

Wonwoo goes back to sitting down, but Mingyu notices the new girl’s eyes follow Seungcheol as she tucks loose strands of long hair behind her ears.

If his knowledge of body language is accurate, then this looks bad.

Hansol may have given up with the girl to make way for Wonwoo, but the girl looks interested in Seungcheol now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just in case the teams are confusing:
> 
> Seungcheol's team: Mingyu, Vernon, Minghao, Chan  
> Jeonghan's team: Hoshi, Seungkwan, Jun, Joshua
> 
> thank you for reading! please stay tuned for the next chapter ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu realizes Wonwoo and Minghao may actually be onto something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who read the last two chapters, as well as left kudos! special shoutout to darbean for the comment! ^_^
> 
> the story takes place during autumn/winter in korea. i've been there last october and the breeze was quite cold already! please enjoy the new chapter!

The day gets even stranger, much to Mingyu’s discomfort. Jeonghan’s team impressively wins by a hair’s breadth due to Seungkwan’s last second efforts, but the team leader hasn’t mentioned anything about it after they all finish showering. The long-haired boy usually takes his time bragging at Seungcheol’s face whenever his team wins to incite a friendly banter between them, but Jeonghan stays silent as they walk back to their classroom. But then, Seungcheol is out of sight. Mingyu tries to think positively, taking Seungcheol’s absence as the cause of Jeonghan’s reserved front.

Wonwoo looks paler as well. Mingyu wants to ask him how his conversation with the girl went, but the downcast aura around his best friend convinces him to respect Wonwoo’s time with his thoughts.

He must have noticed the way the girl stared at Seungcheol earlier.

Mingyu wants to tell Wonwoo things will be okay, that maybe the girl is just amazed by how Seungcheol recovered quickly after falling on the floor. He doesn’t even remember Seungcheol talking to that girl before, but then Mingyu has never paid attention to her anyway. Honestly, he can’t focus on anything or anyone if they don’t leave a strong impression on him. The girl just suddenly arrived in school in the plainest day with the plainest expression and the plainest introduction, and Mingyu only acknowledges this because of the extra name that has to be called during the morning attendance.

They arrive in their room, and Mingyu places his hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder when the latter sits down. His friend glances at him and gives him a thankful smile before he walks to the back of the room. At least Wonwoo doesn’t feel he’s alone with his problems.

He plops back on his seat and grabs his pad of sticky notes from his bag, writing a reminder to get his sweaty sports clothes from the locker room later. He sticks it on the top of his table right when Seungcheol enters the room, looking quite happier than usual. Mingyu notices the small hops in the older boy’s steps as he walks past the girls and sits beside Seokmin.

He stifles a laugh when he sees Seungcheol resting his head on his fist with the same goofy expression Wonwoo wore earlier while completely unfazed by Seokmin waving a hand in front of the his face. But Mingyu realizes where Seungcheol is looking, and his stomach lurches in unease.

“Hey, hey, Seungcheol hyung?” he hears Seokmin say, who’s now waving a thick book. Seungcheol still doesn’t respond, and Seokmin groans, his eyes momentarily staring upwards in frustration. “You like her right, Seungcheol?”

The loudness of Seokmin’s voice does the trick. Much to Seungcheol’s luck, the girls are chatting loudly and didn’t notice Seokmin’s statement at all. The other boys are asleep (with Chan, Soonyoung, and Seungkwan almost snoring), but the rest of them have probably heard it with the way their heads swung to face their direction. Seungcheol grabs the book in Seokmin’s hands and swats him.

“You’re too loud, Seokmin!”

Mingyu quickly glances at Wonwoo in worry and sees his friend resting his head on his arms. He groans at the impending mess this new love triangle can cause and leans back on his chair. Seokmin and Seungcheol are already talking in hushed voices when he peeks at them. Jeonghan, who happens to be Wonwoo’s seatmate, stands up abruptly, making his chair screech atrociously against the tiled floor. He looks at Jisoo talking to Minghao and grabs the boy’s wrist and tilts his head, as though he’s telling Jisoo they have to leave. Jeonghan’s eyes look ready to pop out of his eye sockets as he raises his eyebrows. He lets go of Jisoo and paces out of the room, the latter following quickly, leaving Minghao just as confused as Mingyu.

He and Minghao exchange puzzled expressions. Did they just see an angry Jeonghan for the first time?

* * *

**From: Wonwoo (6:14)**

**i’ll go ahead. will talk to you later**

 

**To: Wonwoo**

**ok. stay safe!!!**

 

Mingyu regrets keeping his clothes in his locker, since he won’t be able to talk to Wonwoo in person about the events that unraveled earlier. Although Wonwoo can be more expressive through messages at times, Mingyu can’t give him the hugs or pats he might need if he mentions something that obviously shook his feelings. Only he understands the delicate soul underneath Wonwoo’s cold-looking exterior. Well, maybe all the boys in their class do as well, but Mingyu holds the best friend title and nothing can defeat that.

He tucks his phone in his pocket as he opens the locker room door and freezes.

Was Jisoo’s locker always right next to his?

“Oh, Mingyu,” Jisoo says, jumping slightly in place. He runs his hand through his orange-brown hair and exhales.

“I’m sorry if I startled you,” Mingyu says softly, even though he himself had been shocked too.

Jisoo tilts his head sideward and gives him a smile. “It’s fine. You must be surprised too, since it’s probably weird to find me in here.”

Mingyu’s lips form an ‘o’ shape. “W-why would it be weird, Jisoo hyung?”

“I don’t usually visit the locker room after school,” the older boy replies. “But I left my clothes here after the game.”

“Oh. I, uh, same,” Mingyu replies. He feels his head spinning – he doesn’t know why he can’t form a coherent sentence in his mind or why he keeps stammering in front of Jisoo.

The sound of clanking metal and squeaking locker screws echo in the locker room as Mingyu inputs his combination and opens his locker. His clothes are messily folded in a laundry bag so he can bring them easily without having to worry about the sweat that dampened them. He hears Jisoo’s locker close, followed by a tiny click, and a dozen footsteps towards the locker room door.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” he asks.

“Y-yes,” Mingyu answers softly, before he realizes what he just said. He honestly doesn’t know how to respond, but his answer rolled off his tongue without him even thinking.

“Okay. No need to rush,” Jisoo adds, his tone coated with consideration. Mingyu feels so confused with the sudden quickening pace of his heartbeats.

He closes his locker after placing a new laundry bag inside and grabbing his winter gloves. Jisoo is twiddling with the slim baby blue ribbon on the collar of his white uniform polo. Mingyu prefers the dark blue necktie because the rope-like ribbon gets tangled around his fingers often, but he has to admit it looks very stylish when Jisoo wears it. In fact, he barely sees Jisoo wearing casual clothes. The most casual he has seen Jisoo wear, counting out their gym clothes, are jeans and sneakers plus the school’s gray sweater vest over a white long-sleeved polo shirt.

And he always has the baby blue ribbon on the collar of his shirt.

“Shall we go?” Jisoo says, snapping Mingyu back to reality. He nods frantically and walks to Jisoo’s side. “I heard from Wonwoo we live in the same street, so I was wondering if you want to walk together.”

Mingyu blinks. “Wait, w-we do? Same street?”

Jisoo nods in reply. “I saw Wonwoo the other day in the convenience store, and he said your house is in the same street as mine while his is at the opposite direction.”

They walk to the exit of their school building with silence between them. Mingyu doesn’t want to bother Jisoo while the boy wraps a scarf around his neck and fixes it to keep his blue ribbon in vision. He wonders why Wonwoo had to mention where he lives even though he’s the only one who met Jisoo. It’s not like he wants to avoid Jisoo, but Mingyu feels wary of Wonwoo’s intentions ever since he claims to feel that Mingyu likes their kindest classmate. Wonwoo hasn’t teased him like this since last year, and it’s confusing why he brings it up again.

It even feels weirder now because Minghao thinks so too. Maybe the two of them are cohorts in messing with him or something.

“You play basketball really well,” he hears Jisoo say from his side. He faces the older boy, who’s staring up at him with a very kind smile.

_Jisoo hyung’s eyelashes are long._

“Th-thank you, hyung,” he replies, smiling widely like a child. He isn’t immune to feeling flustered when compliments are sent his way. “You play it well too.”

They cross the school courtyard as Jisoo chuckles. “You’re not just flattering me, are you?”

“N-no, no, no, of course not, Jisoo hyung!” Mingyu quickly exclaims, shaking his head rabidly. “You’re really good with passing the ball, and also how you got the ball immediately earlier when you bounced it past me, that was really fast!”

“I didn’t think I’d pull that off, really,” the older boy replies, grinning. Crinkles form at the corner of his eyes. “Thank you too. It was fun playing after a long time.”

The game earlier is fun indeed. Mingyu also finds Jisoo’s presence in-game refreshing, especially because he laughs and cheers more than the rest. Everyone else gets engrossed in the competition even if they just play for fun, but from what he has seen earlier, Jisoo just plays without thinking twice in commending the opposing team. Mingyu’s not as competitive as the others, but just like them, he saves the praise for exchanges in the locker room post-game.

“You should play more, hyung,” he remarks, rubbing the tip of his nose.

“Hmm, if you insist,” Jisoo says in a playful tone.

They cross the school gate with Mingyu staring at his steps, feeling heat seep onto his cheeks. He’s so used to Jisoo’s politeness but not actual teasing. He isn’t Jeonghan or Seungcheol nor is he part of the singing preps in class to get a fast joke from Jisoo.

And yet, he feels a strange sense of accomplishment with this.

“So, where’s Wonwoo?” Jisoo asks. “You two walk home together often, right?”

Mingyu nods. “He… isn’t feeling well,” he answers, trying to shake off the feeling of guilt crawling onto his conscience. Lying isn’t his strong suit nor a habit he wants to develop, but he has to cover for Wonwoo. He isn’t completely lying anyway – Wonwoo really does feel down.

“I see. I hope he feels better,” Jisoo sighs.

“I’ll tell him you said that since I’ll visit him later,” he says with a reassuring smile.

They continue walking, surrounded by other students walking home together and chatting animatedly. Mingyu feels jealous they can easily talk to each other, while he doesn’t even know what to say anymore. Jisoo begins humming by his side, and Mingyu feels even more frustrated with himself.

He doesn’t know what to say, and he doesn’t know why he feels so irritated about that either.

“Mingyu! Jisoo hyung!”

The two boys turn their heads and see Seokmin waving wildly at them, Jun and Minghao walking at his left side, and Seungkwan and Soonyoung at his right. Jisoo stops walking and waves back.

“We’re going to grab dinner together, wanna join?” the boy adds, grinning widely.

“You won’t, right?” Jisoo asks, catching the taller boy’s attention.

He feels a sinking feeling in his gut. “Y-yeah. I have to check up on Wonwoo.”

The figurative knots in Mingyu’s stomach tighten. He can’t, but Jisoo looks ready to join the others. Of course Jisoo would want to–

“Maybe next time!” Jisoo yells back.

“R-really?” Mingyu sputters as he watches the other group nod in acknowledgement of Jisoo’s decision.

“I won’t leave you,” Jisoo says in a firm tone. “I was the one who asked if you wanted to walk with me anyway.”

There’s a sudden tugging sensation on Mingyu’s chest.

And right in front of him, while Seungkwan, Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Jun wave back at them one last time, Minghao smirks at Mingyu.

“See you guys tomorrow!” Jisoo exclaims, while Mingyu feels too overwhelmed to say anything. He simply waves back, still stunned by the sudden rollercoaster of feelings he had experienced just a few seconds ago.

And to think it’s all because of Jisoo.

They watch their classmates cross the pedestrian lane at the corner of the sidewalk before walking again. Jisoo continues humming as Mingyu feels his pocket vibrate.

 

**1 message**

**From: Thughao (6:47)**

**walking home with jisoo hyung eh? ( ͡** **⚆** **͜ʖ ͡** **⚆** **)**

 

“Mingyu, are you okay?”

“Huh? Why do you ask, Jisoo hyung?” Mingyu asks, tucking his phone back in his pants pocket.

“Your face seems redder than usual,” Jisoo answers with knitted brows. “Are you cold? I can lend you my scarf.”

“Oh, no, I can handle it,” he replies, concealing his embarrassment with a laugh.

What he can’t handle, he realizes, is the fact that Wonwoo and Minghao may be onto something after all.

Lying isn’t his strong suit, especially towards himself. He can’t lie that Jisoo’s smile makes his heart feel warmer despite the cool wind blowing past them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twenty Questions with Jisoo. Confession time with Wonwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone who read and left kudos! and i hope you guys had a Merry Christmas and that you'll have a Happy New Year as well!
> 
> chapter's long just to make up for the time i haven't updated. and i might not be able to update this until next year (i always wanted to say that XD). also don't forget to greet our beloved Joshua/Jisoo Hong a happy birthday tomorrow!

While Mingyu still can’t wrap around the reason why he can’t think of a good conversation starter, he’s thankful Jisoo takes the initiative to tell stories when silence stands between them. Jisoo’s considerate enough to prevent awkwardness between them, and Mingyu doesn’t want Jisoo to think he doesn’t want to talk to the older boy either.

And that’s why he ends up suggesting the clichéd Twenty Questions game.

“I haven’t played this since elementary school,” Jisoo laughs. “It was introduced to us during our first day in 5th grade. But since we had to do it as a class, we made it five questions instead.”

“Seokmin just introduced it one day,” Mingyu says, smiling at the memory. “We were studying in different schools back then, but he came over one day while Wonwoo and I were doing homework. I wanted them to get along, so Seokmin made us play since he wanted to be friends with Wonwoo too.”

Jisoo looked at him in awe. “You knew Seokmin earlier than Wonwoo?”

Mingyu nodded. “Yeah! People think I knew Wonwoo first, but Seokmin was my neighbor back when we were… uh… seven? I think seven, yeah. He was my classmate in pre-school too. We went to different elementary schools when he moved away, though. But he visited sometimes.”

“That’s something I really didn’t know,” Jisoo chuckles as they turn perpendicularly at the corner of the sidewalk. “Also, it’s like a revelation you should be sharing through Twenty Questions. Do you want to start it now?”

“Alright. Uh… me or you first?” Mingyu asks, waving his finger pointing at him then at Jisoo repeatedly.

Jisoo laughs. “Nineteen questions left for you, then.”

Mingyu places his hand on his chest and looks at Jisoo in shock. “So mean, hyung!” he pouts, earning a grin from the older boy.

“Kidding, kidding. You go first,” he replies, giving Mingyu a pat on the back.

The taller boy then realizes he doesn’t know what he should ask Jisoo first. There’s a lot about him that Mingyu doesn’t know, and he’s not sure where to start at all. Should he ask about Jisoo’s favorites? His experiences? His opinion on something?

He feels his heartbeat jump in his chest when he glances at Jisoo and finds him already staring back, his charming cat-like eyes full of eagerness while waiting for possible questions Mingyu will throw at him. Mingyu twiddles his gloved thumbs and chuckles nervously.

“Ahh… uhh… um… am…”

His eyes widen. Finally, an idea from all his stammering!

“Umm, why did you move here? From America?”

Jisoo sighs, looking at the darkening azure sky with fondness. “Well, my parents thought I should experience life in Korea. Dad suggested I study high school here.”  

Mingyu bites his lip, feeling a strange mix of sadness and intrigue.

“They didn’t force me, though,” Jisoo continues, looking at Mingyu with a reassuring expression. “I wasn’t into the idea at first, but then I thought, ‘Why not?’ I wanted an adventure, and this seemed like the opportunity I asked for.”

A wave of relief rushes through Mingyu. It would be a shame if he and Jisoo met due to a decision Jisoo didn’t make for himself.

But he feels a sudden discomfort in his gut as another question rolls off his tongue.

“So… does that mean you’ll go back to America after high school, hyung?”

Jisoo smirks. “Eighteen questions left for you.”

Mingyu snaps his fingers and groans. “Ah, damn! I didn’t realize!”

“It’s alright,” Jisoo snorts, giving Mingyu’s arm a light squeeze. “I probably will go back. I’m planning to take the exams needed for the universities there.”

“Oh.”

His chest suddenly aches.

“I’d stay, though, if I don’t pass for any,” Jisoo adds, chuckling softly afterwards.

Mingyu starts shaking his head. “No, don’t say that, Jisoo hyung. You’re smart enough to get in any university you’d want.”

_I’d rather have you happy there than sad here._

Jisoo blinks at him with an expression Mingyu can’t read, causing the younger boy’s pulse to quicken yet again. Is it odd to get words of encouragement from him? Or did his voice crack?

“You think so?” Jisoo asks in a hopeful voice.

Mingyu smiles even though it suddenly became a painful act. “Nineteen questions left for you, hyung!” he exclaims, trying to relieve his spirits.

Jisoo sticks his tongue out. “Cheap trick, Mingyu.”

“You did it earlier!” Mingyu retaliates with an affronted look.

Jisoo swats him on the arm painlessly. “I’m just joking. Count it as a question, then.”

Mingyu looks straight at Jisoo. “Okay. I think… no, I know you’re smart and talented, hyung. Universities that reject you are gonna miss out.”

 Jisoo shakes his head while smiling. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, really, I mean it,” Mingyu presses. “I can even cheer you on when you start studying for those exams!”

“That’d be really nice of you,” Jisoo says, looking extremely touched. “You’re the first person to say that. Not even Jeonghan or Seungcheol did, and I told them about my plans first.”

Mingyu smiles bashfully. He’s not even surprised if he’s blushing anymore. He glances at Jisoo, who looks amused with Mingyu’s silly smile, but the boy doesn’t fail to notice how pink Jisoo’s cheeks seem to be.

He must be cold. That’s it.

~~Mingyu tries not to feel hopeful with the knowledge of how thick Jisoo’s scarf looks. He doesn’t know why he’s trying to suppress the thought.~~

“Your turn,” Jisoo says, prodding Mingyu with his elbow.

The boy taps his chin. What to ask, what to ask…

He snaps his fingers, surprising Jisoo. “Is Jeonghan hyung mad at Seungcheol hyung?”

“…huh?” Jisoo tilts his head sideward. “Why do you think that? And don’t count my question for the game. I’m curious.”

Mingyu shrugged. “Well, he wasn’t talking earlier when we walked back to the classroom, and he stormed out of the room when Seungcheol hyung went in. It’s just my assumption, anyway.”

Jisoo’s face suddenly scrunches as though he ate an entire lemon. “I… can’t divulge details, but I guess you can say so.”

The answer is enough for Mingyu’s quest to piece everything together. He doesn’t expect Jisoo to give any details anyway, but he appreciates his honest answer.

“Okay, I understand,” Mingyu says. “Your turn, right? Ah, that’s not a question! Your turn!”

The older boy laughs, and Mingyu follows when Jisoo teases him about his question count. He’s so prone to the same mistake that even he gets amused by it.

“What do you plan to pursue after high school?” Jisoo asks.

Mingyu scratches the back of his head. He hasn’t thought about it, really. He isn’t really set on what he really wants to do despite his childhood ambition of becoming an actor.

“Um… you’re going to laugh…” he begins. Jisoo shakes his head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mingyu. I promise I won’t,” the boy tells him with a serious expression.

“I’m not sure what I want to do after. A part of me wants to become an actor, but I’m thinking if I should aim for something more practical like engineering. My dad says I’m good with tinkering and repairing things, so he thinks I can do well there. My mom says I could try taking culinary arts, since I do like cooking.”

He sighs. It’s honestly a topic he avoids sometimes since he still feels conflicted when asked by adults about it. He doesn’t want to relive the moment one of his relatives told him that his dreams of becoming an actor is far-fetched. He doesn’t want to remember how he’s been dragged into long drawls about potential careers too many times. All he wants is to enjoy high school and discover what he wants to do with all his heart without having people pressure him. He still has a year.

“I’m not surprised with how your dad suggested engineering,” Jisoo says. “Wonwoo says you’re a great technician. He even told me about the time you two fixed a birdhouse and you did all the work. And you were still twelve then!”

“Oh, so he told you that,” Mingyu whispers. He feels guilty that it’s only a vague memory for him now, but he does remember why they had to fix the birdhouse. Wonwoo had accidentally broken it and told only Mingyu about what happened, since it’s his neighbor’s property and he didn’t want to die by his parent’s hands and scolding. Being the good friend he is, Mingyu made do with what little wood they gathered while Wonwoo ended up in charge of painting it.

That’s all he remembers. Maybe he can ask Wonwoo about it later.

“I didn’t know about cooking, though. I’d be interested in tasting one of your dishes,” Jisoo grins. “You can cheer me on when I study for future entrance exams by cooking for me!”

Mingyu claps his hand against his face to hide a goofy smile.

Jisoo points at a pastry shop across the street. “Can you bake too?” Noticing Mingyu’s eyes widen, Jisoo laughs, “Count that as a question. I have seventeen left.”

Mingyu snorts. “Yeah. I like baking. And I’m glad you don’t cheat like Jeonghan hyung does.”

They stand in front of a pedestrian lane, staring at each other rather than at the red traffic symbol for pedestrians.

“Just because we’re close friends doesn’t mean I do the same,” Jisoo remarks. “It’s fun helping him out occasionally, though.”

“Seungcheol hyung doesn’t, though,” Mingyu says.

“Yeah, well, Seungcheol is often the butt of Jeonghan’s pranks,” the other boy replies with a smirk.

A beat passes, and Mingyu stares at the ground. He wants to say something, something from the top of his head right now, but Jisoo cuts in before he finds words he needs. “Oh, and Mingyu?”

Mingyu’s gaze moves from the ground to the boy beside him. “If you do become an actor, I think you’ll do a great job.”

Mingyu blinks as heat trickles onto his cheeks. “Ahh… uhh… really…” he says, flustered and tongue-tied.

“Of course. Whatever you wish to be, Mingyu, I’ll support you,” Jisoo tells him with a grin as he rubs his hands together.

Mingyu notices Jisoo isn’t wearing gloves.

He doesn’t think twice when he removes his and offers them to Jisoo. “You can borrow my gloves, hyung.”

Jisoo quickly pushes Mingyu’s hands away with a soft smile. “It’s fine, Mingyu. Your hands would get cold at my expense. I can handle this.”

Mingyu insists, pushing against Jisoo’s hands. “But–“

“If you’re really going to insist, though, would you be willing to trade your gloves for my scarf for a day?”

His breath hitches. “S-sixteen questions,” Mingyu stammers.

He can’t think of anything else to say.

The other pedestrians start crossing the street, but Jisoo seems rooted in place, slowly unwrapping his light blue scarf around his neck. “I know, and I’m waiting for your answer,” he says with a grin.

Wonwoo is supposed to be in low spirits, yet here he is rolling around his bedroom floor clutching his shirt with one hand and hitting the floor with the other, laughing with tears forming at the corner of his eyes. Mingyu frowns, holding back the strongest urge to kick his best friend like a flimsy soccer ball.

He shouldn’t have told everything to Wonwoo.

He and Jisoo had parted at the convenience store in between their street and Wonwoo’s. Jisoo, who had successfully traded winter clothing accessories with Mingyu, had bought a bar of chocolate and asked Mingyu to deliver it to Wonwoo. “To lift his spirits,” Jisoo had said, and Mingyu had realized that the older boy had speculated about the real reason why Wonwoo wasn’t feeling well.

Mingyu had walked to Wonwoo’s after Jisoo became a tiny figure in the distance. He had texted his dad he would visit Wonwoo first before going home, and he had replied that he would find his food on the dinner table when Mingyu arrives home later.

Wonwoo’s brother had welcomed him in and Mingyu had rushed to Wonwoo’s room, thinking his best friend might have been reading a book to keep his mind occupied or staring at the wall while pondering at his first experience of having a crush. Instead, he had found Wonwoo sitting on the floor and in front of his television screen, playing that popular new videogame with spiky-haired protagonists.

If Mingyu hadn’t given the chocolate bar immediately and said it was from Jisoo, Wonwoo wouldn’t have convinced him to spill, and Mingyu wouldn’t find himself frustrated at how amused Wonwoo was.

He wants his best friend to feel better, but not like THIS.

“Oh man, oh man, this is gold,” Wonwoo gasps between laughter. “You, you really, really are dense w-with your feelings!”

Mingyu feels his cheeks burn. “S-shh! Your family might hear you!”

Wonwoo sits up, trying to hold back his laughter but failing. “Trust me, they won’t,” he says, humored. “But seriously, I cannot believe you have to ask me why you feel so confused when you’re around Jisoo hyung.”

Mingyu slaps his cheeks and falls back onto Wonwoo’s bed, groaning. “I don’t feel confused when I’m around Jisoo hyung, I just feel confused about my feelings when I’m with Jisoo hyung! When he says something nice to me, when he smiles, it’s confusing!”

He hears the videogame music play again, followed by excessive button mashing on a controller. “Same thing,” Wonwoo replies. “Didn’t it cross your mind that you actually have a crush on Jisoo hyung?”

“Wouldn’t I know if I have a crush on him?” Mingyu retorts as he sits up and grabs a pillow from behind, hugging it tightly and staring at his argyle-patterned socks.

Wonwoo doesn’t look back at him and continues playing, but Mingyu can’t find himself to watch his friend play while his stomach suddenly feels empty. “You do know that you can have feelings for someone without realizing them, right? That’s how I started with her.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes. “Are you kidding me? You probably knew from the moment you saw her or something.”

“You know I don’t believe in love at first sight,” Wonwoo reminds before raising his controller up. Mingyu smirks at his best friend’s dedication to the game. “Just in case you forgot, Seungcheol hyung assigned me to tour her around the school and help her around.”

Mingyu’s eyes widen. Wonwoo did say something about that…

“And she sent me messages when she needed something, but our conversations stopped being too formal and we started becoming friends. I didn’t realize it then, but after her first week in school, I started looking forward to her messages, since she always messaged first,” Wonwoo continues. Mingyu doesn’t hear buttons being tapped anymore.

He raises his head and sees the words **PAUSE** on screen. Wonwoo’s back is still facing him.

“I got to know her enough for feelings to form, but I didn’t notice. All I knew was I was happy when she was happy, that I liked her smile, that I really looked forward to her messages. Then the other girls warmed up to her and she finally became friends with them, so she didn’t message as much. I guess it’s because it’s easier for girls to get along with other girls.”

Wonwoo exhales. “I started to miss her even though her seat was just so close to mine. I thought that, hey, I could just walk up to her in school and talk to her easily, but it was hard for me to go near her. I know I’m shy, but I haven’t chickened out like that.”

Mingyu tightens his hold on the pillow. He’s slowly relating.

“Remember when we played The Rose of Sharon Has Bloomed a few weeks ago?”

He nods and buries his face in the pillow.

He remembers it all too well.

He and Jisoo had held hands then.

“While we were walking back to the classroom, she talked to me and said she had fun. Said thanks because I was her first friend and that I made her feel welcome.” Wonwoo pauses, then sighs again. “I… realized I like her. My heart was racing like crazy, just like the days before, but that day I knew, I admitted to myself that I do like her, and I felt relieved because a lot of questions I asked myself were suddenly answered.”

Wonwoo finally looks at Mingyu with a smile. “Sorry if I haven’t told you about it sooner. I really wasn’t aware of how I felt for the longest time until it just hit me. It’s also weird for me to talk about this. And to talk a lot too...”

Mingyu shakes his head with a surprised grin. “Yeah, it really is weird to hear you talk about it like that. You sound so cheesy!” he laughs, earning a snort from Wonwoo. “But I’m glad you told me. I’m sorry for being oblivious to your first weeks of having a crush.”

Wonwoo nods. “It’s fine. I didn’t really want anyone to find out. You got my point though, right?”

Mingyu’s smile drops. “Yeah. I just… I’m… do you really… think I have a crush on Jisoo hyung?”

Wonwoo smirks. “I do. I don’t know if you’ve noticed yourself, but you look at Jisoo hyung an awful lot when he tutors Minghao.”

Mingyu raises his hands as though he’s defending himself from a physical hit. “They sit near me, and I pick up some English tips along the way.”

“You also smile like the dorkiest guy in the world when he cheers after you make a shot in basketball games.”

“I like getting compliments!” Mingyu exclaims, waving his hands around.

“You always watch him whenever he plays the guitar during free time.”

“H-he’s really good, okay? I want to learn how to play too,” he answers.

Wonwoo rolls his eyes. “You laugh at his jokes, and you know how Jihoon is serious when he says Jisoo hyung’s jokes suck.”

“We all have different tastes in jokes,” Mingyu snaps. “I laugh at your unfunny jokes too.”

Wonwoo shakes his head and shoots a glare at him. “I’m funny.”

“You know how Jihoon is serious when he says your jokes suck,” he replies, imitating Wonwoo’s voice.

“Are you really going to stay in denial?” Wonwoo sighs. “You’re already thinking about it, Mingyu. I know you know that you admire Jisoo hyung for being a great guy, but this isn’t just simple admiration anymore.”

Mingyu doesn’t reply, and Wonwoo returns to playing his videogame.

He really thought he would be giving Wonwoo advice, but the tables have turned.

“Think about it, Mingyu. I gave you so many examples too, and not once did you deny doing those things nor did you say you don’t like Jisoo hyung that way.”

_He’s right._

Mingyu hugs the pillow again, a sinking, tugging feeling in his chest, and he glances at his bag perched on Wonwoo’s study table, Jisoo’s scarf resting on top of it.

_This isn’t just simple admiration anymore._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo and Minghao show off their wingman skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who read the previous chapters and left kudos! and thanks to brookwan for the comments! ^-^ you guys are awesome!
> 
> chapter is more on friendship bc i'm a sucker for that XD
> 
> also this a/n is very short bc it's 3 am and i'm sleepy HAHAHA

Just as Mingyu expected, Jisoo's scarf is incredibly thick, yet is still one of the softest things he has ever touched. It warms his neck with only two to three wrapped layers, and it's long enough to be shared with another person. Whoever knitted or whatever brand that produced Jisoo's scarf definitely knows what winter wear should be like.

He wonders why Jisoo traded his fuzzy scarf for a measly pair of gloves. Even just for a day, it doesn't make sense. If Mingyu owned this scarf, he won't trade it any time soon, especially since his gloves retains heat until a certain cold temperature kicks in and breaks the threshold of his gloves' heat capacity. But then, he'd be swayed to lend it to a friend if they are shivering to the bone.

Mingyu wasn't particularly cold yesterday. He didn't shiver or rub his neck for warmth either. Jisoo seemed so insistent on lending his scarf despite all this, and Mingyu's stomach flips again when he remembers yesterday.

_"I... okay, hyung. But if it's too cold for you, let's switch back," Mingyu says with a weak smile, his hand still outstretched with both his gloves tucked between his palm and his thumb._

_Before Mingyu knows it, he can see the smoke from Jisoo's breath fade onto his uniform as Jisoo stands only a few centimeters away from him. Jisoo tiptoes and raises his arms, hands gripped on the ends of his scarf, and Mingyu feels a soft, fuzzy texture touch the nape of his neck._

_Jisoo wraps his scarf around Mingyu into three layers and grins. Mingyu feels warm, and it's not just because of the cloth around his neck._

_"There. That should do it," Jisoo says, and he finally takes Mingyu's gloves from the younger boy's hold._

He sighs and pulls the outermost layer of the scarf up his nose. The cool of the wind is making his nose crinkle and he doesn't want to sneeze on Jisoo's scarf.

Baby powder. Jisoo's scarf smelled like baby powder.

Mingyu keeps his nose covered with Jisoo's scarf as he walks his entire way to school.

* * *

 

"Thank you so much for lending me this, Jisoo hyung."

Mingyu places the neatly folded scarf onto Jisoo's desk, trying his best to ignore the fact that Minghao looks terribly amused. How is Jisoo oblivious to the obvious Cheshire grin his own seatmate wore?

"Thank you too, Mingyu," Jisoo replies, handing over Mingyu's gloves. "It's really warm."

"Not as warm as your scarf," Mingyu says. He catches a glimpse of Minghao covering his mouth with his hand, eyes crinkled. The boy is clearly enjoying this. Mingyu finalizes the need to change his best friends.

"It is warm, isn't it? If you want to borrow it again, just say the word." Jisoo looks at his scarf proudly, and Mingyu wonders if the other boy's little trading stint is just to promote his scarf.

"Fourteen questions, hyung," Mingyu answers, earning an eye roll from Jisoo.

They haven't finished their game yesterday, and they have agreed to keep it going until both their question counts reach zero.

"Now that is unfair," Jisoo pouts.

_Cute._

Mingyu laughs. At the corner of his eye, he notices Minghao's smug expression.

* * *

 

“So, how was your date with Jisoo hyung?”

The universe, Mingyu now believes, enjoys tormenting him through the red angry bird personified that just so happened to be one of his best friends.

He shoots a glare at Minghao as the two of them, along with Wonwoo, sit at the table closest to the windows. Much to his relief, Jisoo is seated with Jeonghan and Jihoon at the opposite side of the cafeteria, right next to the entrance and exit doors. He’d die of embarrassment if they are within Jisoo’s earshot.

“It was lovely,” Wonwoo answers. Mingyu’s glare transfers to Wonwoo, who retaliates with a knowing smile. “Mingyu told me all about it last night.”

“I knew it,” Mingyu groans. “You two are trying to mess with me.”

Minghao places a hand on his chest and exaggerates a gasp. “We would never do such a thing to you.”

“He’s right,” Wonwoo says, face serious. “We’re trying to help you.”

“Help me how?” Mingyu groans. “You two have been harassing me about Jisoo hyung for days.”

Minghao snorts. “Harassing? Mingyu, come on. Wonwoo and I care about you and your feelings.”

“He’s right,” Wonwoo repeats, voice muffled by his food-filled mouth, earning a soft laugh from Minghao. “We care about your feelings.”

Mingyu takes a bite out of his chicken as Minghao continues. “I’m looking out for you, okay? Wouldn’t want the whole world finding out how you like Jisoo hyung the way the entire class found out how Wonwoo likes… what’s her name… you get my point.”

Wonwoo almost spits out his food. “Wh-what? The entire class knows?”

Minghao rolls his eyes. “Hyung, you stare at her with goo goo eyes almost all the time. We’re not blind. Or, well, everyone except Mingyu isn’t blind.”

“Hey, I just didn’t notice Wonwoo giving her goo goo eyes,” Mingyu retorts, pouting.  

“Yeah, because your attention is totally stuck on Jis–“

“All I see from Wonwoo is his back! Knock knock, Minghao, I’m sitting at the back row!” Mingyu exclaims.

Minghao places his chopsticks on his plate. “You’re right, Wonwoo. He is in denial.”

“I speak the truth and nothing but the truth,” Wonwoo replies. “Or text. Whichever fits.”

“You two have been texting each other about this?” Mingyu screeches, feeling his ears tingle with heat. Minghao and Wonwoo nod in unison.

“Dude, you become a blushing mess when Jisoo hyung compliments you. That’s not how you usually operate,” Minghao says. “You charm others like a puppy, except me of course.” (“And me,” Wonwoo whispers.) “But when it comes to Jisoo hyung, you transform into an awkward and ugly duckling.”

Mingyu parts his lips to say something, but realizes that Minghao’s right. He stuffs a large piece of chicken meat in his mouth instead.

“Ugly is a bit too far, don’t you think?” Wonwoo chirps.

Minghao sweeps the idea with a wave of his hand. “I just wanted to reference that story. I mean, if Mingyu gets his act together, his ugly duckling self would become a beautiful swan in Jisoo hyung’s eyes, right?”

“Right, right,” Wonwoo answers, while Mingyu finds himself speechless and out of ideas.

Of course he’d want to look good in Jisoo’s eyes. He doesn’t want anyone to think ill of him, let alone patient and understanding Jisoo.

_Especially patient and understanding Jisoo._

“I’m still waiting for details, Mingyu,” Minghao says.

“I’m ninety nine percent sure Wonwoo texted you about it,” Mingyu replies exasperatedly. He just wants to eat in peace rather than feeling flutters in his stomach. His appetite is at stake, and he doesn’t want his space for food to be stuffed with figurative butterflies instead.

Minghao grins. “You’re right, but I still want to hear it from you.”

Mingyu raises a brow. “I know what happened between you and Jisoo hyung, but I want to know how you feel. Is that clear enough?” Minghao adds. Mingyu spots hints of impatience. He can feel it now – the Chinese boy’s thoughts are probably along the lines of ‘you tell Wonwoo everything but not me?’ because his face resembles the cranky red angry bird again.

“I’m still trying to figure it out. How I feel exactly about… about J-Jisoo… hyung, I mean,” Mingyu mumbles, bowing his head. “But... I know it’s not just simple admiration anymore.”

He glances at Wonwoo, surprised at the proud look his best friend is now wearing.  

"Knew it. Knew it. I really knew it,” Minghao cheers. Way to switch moods, Mingyu thinks.

Mingyu takes a bite out of his chicken while staring at Minghao with an unimpressed look. Wonwoo suddenly imitates Minghao when the latter starts patting Mingyu’s shoulder.

Mingyu can accept their antics if not for the fact that Soonyoung has suddenly arrived to sit with them, ready to break his cluelessness about the whole ordeal with just one question. And knowing Minghao, who’s willing to humor anything that could add misery in Mingyu’s life, he’d give at least a hint for Soonyoung in a heartbeat.

“You knew what?” comes Soonyoung’s question, right on schedule, and Mingyu’s forehead plops on the cafeteria table.

“What’s this? What’s going on?” Soonyoung adds. “You okay, Mingyu?”

“I told Wonwoo hyung we know he has a crush on the new girl and Mingyu’s depressed since he’s the last to know about it,” Minghao replies. Mingyu feels a nudge on his arm, and he sits up straight again and slaps his hand over his mouth at the sight of Wonwoo’s distraught expression.

“W-wait! Why did you tell him?” Wonwoo asks with wide eyes, voice almost cracking.

Mingyu laughs and glances at Minghao, who gives him a quick wink.

“Thanks,” he mouths.

Minghao rolls his eyes. “You owe me,” the Chinese boy mouths back.

“What’s going on here?” comes Jun’s voice from behind. Mingyu and Minghao scoot sideward to give space for their table’s newcomer.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Wonwoo,” Soonyoung says gleefully, slamming his hands on the table and leaning forward. “It’s really obvious anyway. If you want, I can help you Won **woo** her!”

It’s Wonwoo’s turn to smack his forehead onto the table, rousing laughter from the three boys and a confused look from Jun. “This joke again,” he groans.

* * *

 

Mingyu’s hands shake as his fingers grip his recently returned English homework, eyes wide and staring at the score at the corner of the sheet. It isn’t the highest, but he’s satisfied with what he got. His smile drops when he inspects all his teacher’s comments written using bold red ink, frustrated that his handwriting was scrutinized more than his actual grammatical mistakes.

“Alright, whoever’s on cleaning duty can start,” Seungcheol calls from the front, signaling everyone that their teacher has already left. Jeonghan stands up first and wears his messenger bag before leaving, a gaggle of girls at his tail. The girl Wonwoo likes leaves with the other girls, and Mingyu stops himself from snorting when he sees Wonwoo’s gaze follow her.

“Hyung, cleaning duty,” comes Hansol’s voice from above, followed by three gentle taps on his shoulder. As he stands up, Jisoo approaches them with a broom and mop in his hands.

How could he forget? Aside from Hansol, Jisoo’s also assigned to cleaning duty with him.

Mingyu watches Hansol take the broom and walk to the front of the classroom, their other male classmates passing by him and leaving the room with tired smiles. Wonwoo and Minghao are already at the doorway, peering at him and grinning from ear to ear. His eyes narrow as Minghao sticks his tongue out.

“Oh, are you two waiting for us?” Jisoo asks.

It’s amazing how fast Minghao’s mischievous grin transforms into an innocent beam. “We’re just saying goodbye to Mingyu,” he answers, waving his hand at Mingyu’s direction.

“Aren’t you going to wait for me?” Mingyu snaps.

“I have to meet Bohyuk,” Wonwoo replies with a small smile. Clearly a lie – Wonwoo will always choose going home as early as possible rather than waiting for anyone, even his own brother (unless bribed with free food).

“Jun and I have something important to talk about. Chinese stuff,” Minghao says with a nonchalant shrug. “Sorry, Mingyu. Guess you’ll have to walk home alone?”

Mingyu rolls his eyes. Minghao isn’t sorry at all, what with that shit-eating grin on his face disguised as an apologetic smile. And what kind of excuse is “Chinese stuff” anyway?

“Ah, didn’t you walk together yesterday, Jisoo hyung?” Wonwoo adds. Mingyu notices the devious glint flashing in Minghao’s eyes and frowns. It’s sly of the two of them to plan this, but he blames himself for not foreseeing this. Of course Minghao and Wonwoo will take whatever chance they have to tease him, even if Mingyu still doesn’t fully understand the extent of his feelings.

“Yes, we did,” Jisoo answers almost too cheerfully. Mingyu doesn’t know and doesn’t want to check – he’s busy glaring at his best friends, and he doesn’t want Jisoo to notice his face potentially flush into a rosy hue.

Wonwoo’s grin grows wider. “Please take care of our little idiot, hyung.”

Hansol suddenly laughs, almost dropping the broomstick. “Nothing little about Mingyu hyung, though,” he chirps, swinging the broom handle left and right.

Jisoo’s laughing as well now, much to Mingyu’s chagrin. What did he ever do to his friends for them to gang up on him? Especially Hansol, who he has shown nothing but kindness? (Well, there was that one stint with eating his bar of Twix chocolate without permission, but that’s beside the point.)

He pouts visibly and crosses his arms, and his two friends burst into laughter.

“You guys are so mean to Mingyu,” Jisoo says, still laughing. Mingyu’s eyes dart at the older boy, who seems to be wiping tears that formed from laughing. “And I’d be glad to. We just live in the same street anyway.”

Minghao feigns surprise as he widens his eyes and forms an ‘o’ with his mouth. “Wow, that’s so convenient!” He glances at his watch and waves at Mingyu. “See you all tomorrow. Jun’s waiting.”

“Same here,” Wonwoo remarks. “My brother, not Jun.”

Mingyu waves back at them once and rolls his eyes when Minghao wiggles his eyebrows before running off. Wonwoo’s chuckle fades as he walks away.

“Let’s get to cleaning, Mingyu,” Jisoo says, catching his attention. He almost steps back in surprise, as Jisoo’s arm is outstretched with the mop handle very close to Mingyu’s face. “The faster we work, the sooner we get home.”

He nods sheepishly and extends his hand, his fingers brushing against Jisoo’s as he’s given the mop. He shuffles immediately to the front of the room where Hansol has finished sweeping, his eyes trained on the mop’s head as he pushes and pulls.

Another afternoon with Jisoo.

Courtesy of the ‘matchmaking’ shitlords he calls friends.

Minghao and Wonwoo are probably going to rush to Wonwoo’s place and prepare popcorn so that the both of them would have something to eat later when Mingyu gets forced to tell them what happened. Mingyu acknowledges that he does have the choice to keep mum, but who is he kidding, anyway. Despite their constant teasing and disturbing eyebrow wiggling, Mingyu trusts his feelings with them.

He feels his pocket vibrate and he quickly flips out his phone.

 

**2 messages**

 

**From: Thughao (6:08 pm)**

**(͡** **⚆** **͜ʖ ͡** **⚆** **)**

 

**From: Wonwoo (6:08 pm)**

**you can thank us later**

 

Mingyu can’t help but crack a smile.

Honestly, he really is thankful.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu falls in love. Or acknowledges he long did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is three chapters worth of writing (since i update this on aff more, sorry for neglecting u ao3 u_u)
> 
> thank you to everyone who read the previous chapters, bookmarked, left kudos, and shoutout to brookwan for the comment! :'D i hope this makes up for the long time i haven't updated here XD

Mingyu has never expected that he would ever be jealous of Hansol. And yet, here he is, hiding a pout by staring at the opposite direction while Jisoo and Hansol laugh together due to some English pun. 

He doesn't know what exactly makes him feel jealous. Is it because Jisoo and Hansol have a special bond due to their ability to speak English? Is it because he feels left out of their conversation? 

_Is it because Jisoo hyung is ignoring me?_

Mingyu shuts his eyes and sighs. Despite the overwhelming weight of his current feelings on his heart, there's a strange lightness he feels for being more honest to himself. For admitting to himself that he really is jealous of Hansol for _that_  reason and not just because of a language barrier. 

He's afraid to look at them. Feeling jealousy towards a friend for this reason is completely new to him, and it feels much worse knowing that it's towards Hansol.

Hansol, who Mingyu knows has faced too many ordeals due to his appearance. Shallow rejection due to his half lineage. Shallow admiration only because of his handsome looks. Shallow jealousy because of his natural charm. Mingyu swore he'd play his part in removing the stigma some people had placed on Hansol, but the jealousy stirring in him now makes him feel like a hypocrite.

And it's not like Mingyu owns Jisoo's attention. Who is he anyway to stake a claim on it?

He's just Jisoo's friend.

The thought makes him sadder.

He can't really tell what the both of them are talking about anymore. He only catches the words "like" and "tell" and "sure". It's hard to decipher especially now that they're speaking in hushed voices. 

Maybe this is what karma has planned for him. In exchange for feeling jealous towards Hansol, Mingyu tastes the isolation that Hansol had to bear for the past years.

"I guess this is where we part," Hansol says. Mingyu glances at him and sees his friend's bright, pearly white smile. "See you tomorrow, my hyungs."

Mingyu replies with a weak smile, bumping fists with Hansol. Jisoo does the same and bids, "Take care now!"

They watch the younger boy cross the pedestrian lane in silence, and Mingyu feels guilty with the relief he feels from Hansol finally leaving.

"Shall we?"

Mingyu glances at Jisoo, who's wearing his trademark doe-eyed smile. 

"Okay," he answers sofly. He fights the urge to smack himself for giving such an uncool answer.

They both slowly walk a dozen steps without saying anything, and Mingyu feels too ashamed of himself to say anything.

“Mingyu, remember how we lost in that bottle cap game in Jun’s birthday party?”

Mingyu pauses on his tracks, confused on why Jisoo would ask until he remembers they are still playing Twenty Questions. He wonders if he and Jisoo would talk like they did yesterday if they didn’t play it.

“Thirteen questions, hyung,” he answers, voice still soft.

Jisoo raises a brow at him and smirks. “Cheeky boy, you mean fourteen.”

“Kidding, kidding,” Mingyu says, smiling as he stares at his walking feet. His cheeks are suddenly pinched softly, and Jisoo’s hand moves away before Mingyu touches his cheek in surprise. The younger boy gazes at Jisoo with wide-eyed awe. If he isn’t wearing gloves, Mingyu’s sure he’d feel the heat creep on his cheeks.

“You pinched my cheek,” he says, voice sounding like a child-like whine. Jisoo replies with an innocent smile.

“Because you were cheeky. Get it?” Jisoo snorts.

Mingyu’s eyebrows knit together. Even if Wonwoo’s the lord of lame jokes, Jisoo apparently isn’t too far behind, and Mingyu can’t believe he never noticed before Wonwoo confronted him about it yesterday.

“Har har har, hyung,” Mingyu chuckles sarcastically, though his laugh slowly transitions into a genuine one when Jisoo’s face scrunches into a mocked expression. “So, about the bottle cap game…”

“Ah, yes. I was wondering what color you wrote down.”

Mingyu gazes at the sky painted with an orange horizon and fluffs of rosy clouds. “Pink.”

He remembers the birthday party last June, which was Jun’s first birthday away from China and from his family. Minghao was dead set on making it a memorable one for his friend and asked all the guys in their class to help him plan a good surprise party in their Dance Clubroom in campus. A collective effort by Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Soonyoung led to a dozen games, while the rest of them bought or prepared food. Mingyu had brought green tea cake, and Wonwoo and Hansol asked if they could chip in because they weren’t sure what to bring.

It was one of the best parties Mingyu had been in so far, but the games the trio planned had heavy consequences for the games’ losers (save for Jun). He and Jisoo, along with Soonyoung, Jihoon, and Jeonghan, had lost the bottle cap game, where they had to flick a cap the farthest on a table without it falling off. As a consequence, Seungkwan had them write down colors on tiny shreds of paper to be folded and randomly picked by them, and whatever color they get would be the color they had to dye their hair into. Mingyu was relieved he didn’t get what he wrote and instead ended up with blue hair.

“Guess I know who’s at fault for Jihoon’s cotton candy hair,” Jisoo grins.

“Please don’t tell him,” Mingyu says, pouting. “Jihoon hyung promised he’d kill whoever wrote ‘pink’ if he found out who that is.”

Jisoo waves a hand. “He’s just afraid he’d look cuter than he already is,” he laughs, clapping his hands together. “And it suits him. He admitted it when we had our hair dyed, remember?”

Mingyu shakes his head. He knows Jihoon has reserved a special kind of rage for him ever since middle school. “Still! If Jihoon hyung finds out it’s me, he’d try to whack me with a guitar again!”

Jisoo raised a brow, seemingly disturbed. “He tried to hit you with a guitar?”

“Back in middle school,” Mingyu pouts. “I just wanted to hang out with someone during break time and I saw Jihoon hyung alone in the classroom with a guitar, and he wasn’t playing it. I’m not sure if Seungcheol hyung told you, but Jihoon hyung and Hansol used to be in Soonyoung hyung’s dance club.”

“Oh, I know,” Jisoo says, nodding. “Hansol told me. I heard they won a lot of dance competitions back in the day.”

“They did! It’s pretty sweet too,” Mingyu says in glee. He can remember how Chan and Hansol kept telling Mingyu to go watch their performances.

“It’s a shame Hansol and Jihoon aren’t in Soonyoung’s dance club anymore. I know Jihoon wants to focus on writing music and studying, but Hansol didn’t really say why. At least he has Minghao and Jun now, though,” Jisoo remarks.

“Yeah,” Mingyu sighs. Even though Soonyoung respected Jihoon’s and Hansol’s decision to leave his dance club indefinitely since they entered high school, it still took a toll on his cheerfulness for weeks. It was Chan who asked Minghao and Jun, along with Jisoo and Seokmin, if they wanted to join the club in an effort to make his friend smile again.

He thinks if he should tell Jisoo about why Hansol left.

“Wait, I’m sorry I interrupted you,” Jisoo says with an apologetic smile. “You still haven’t told me why Jihoon almost smacked you with a guitar.”

“It’s fine, Jisoo hyung,” Mingyu assured, grinning. Maybe Hansol’s story should be for next time, especially when he finally rids himself of the guilt he feels for being jealous earlier.

“Ah… where was I… right, so I saw Jihoon hyung alone and I asked him if I can hang out with him. He said yes, but he was so quiet! So I started playing with his hair and he told me to stop. It’s so boring but I didn’t want to leave, so I asked him some questions. I asked something, I forgot what, that probably triggered him, because all of a sudden he raised the guitar and started chasing me around with it!” he exclaimed, flailing his arms around.

Jisoo laughs. “You probably asked him something about his height.”

Mingyu crosses his arms. “He hates me because I used to be shorter than him and then suddenly I grew so tall.”

“There, there, Mingyu,” Jisoo says, patting the boy’s back soothingly. “I’ll make sure Jihoon won’t hit you with a guitar.”

“R-really?” Mingyu squeaks.

Jisoo’s angelic smile resurfaces again, making Mingyu’s heart skip a beat. He tries his best not to clutch the cloth of his uniform above his chest. “Of course. The guitar isn’t a club to hit other people.”

His jaw drops, and so does something he just only realizes is stirring in his heart.

Hope.

“S-so mean, hyung,” he stammers. He realizes Jisoo would be suspicious of his soft voice, and he adds, “You’re more concerned for a guitar than me!”

He feels another pinch on his cheek, longer and lighter, gently shaking his cheek around, before the soft touch retracts. Mingyu touches the spot again as his heart begins thumping faster in his chest. Jisoo grins at him, his chocolate irises hiding behind closed eyelids.

“You’re honestly so cute when you pout, Mingyu,” Jisoo says, laughing softly afterwards, his hands covering his mouth.

Mingyu stays silent.

All Jisoo has done is call him cute, and here Mingyu is, feeling too astounded with the flutters in his stomach and the fuzz in in his mind. His lungs feel void of air, begging, pleading for him to catch his breath. The tips of his ears are scorching, immune to the true cold of the weather. His eyes are fixed on Jisoo’s laughing form, while everyone passing by and everything around Jisoo a complete blur. All he can see is Jisoo’s beautifully aligned teeth and all he can hear is Jisoo’s melodious laughter. He bites his lower lip as he feels his heartbeats quicken, pounding almost too painfully as though his heart wants to break free from within and shatter his ribcage.

All these sensations, and not even half a minute has passed.

 

_Dude, you become a blushing mess when Jisoo hyung compliments you. That’s not how you usually operate._

He’s a blushing mess right now.

 

_I know you know that you admire Jisoo hyung for being a great guy, but this isn’t just simple admiration anymore._

He doesn’t just admire Jisoo anymore.

 

_Didn’t it cross your mind that you actually have a crush on Jisoo hyung?_

He likes Jisoo.

Mingyu likes Jisoo.

Mingyu has a crush on Jisoo.

 

All the butterflies he felt since Jisoo helped him last year. All the fireworks he felt since Jisoo started talking to him more. All the confusion he felt when he’s around Jisoo.

Everything makes sense now, as clear as day.

As clear as Jisoo is in Mingyu’s eyes.

Jisoo’s laughing stops, but his smile is brighter than ever. Jisoo always wears a smile, often small and reserved, that makes him look like a regal prince. But now, Jisoo’s smile reminds Mingyu of a really happy child, and he feels blessed to see such a sweet smile. Mingyu sees the crinkles at the corner of Jisoo’s eyes and the little moles on his lifted cheeks, little details he has never seen before.

“You want to know something, Mingyu?”

Mingyu blinks and tilts his head sidewards. “Y-yes?”

He holds his breath when Jisoo’s hand touches his hair. “I was the one who wrote blue.”

* * *

“I can’t believe it took you almost a year to figure out you’re head over heels for Jisoo hyung, but I don’t care! I’m proud of you, you idiot!” Minghao shrieks, tackling Mingyu into a hug. They both fall on the carpeted floor while Wonwoo claps his hands together, cheering as loudly as Minghao.

“He isn’t an idiot today, Minghao,” Wonwoo laughs.

“We should celebrate!” Minghao exclaims, and Mingyu pushes him off immediately.

“Celebrate? He’s not even my boyfriend!” Mingyu exclaims.

Minghao’s grin twists into an impish smirk. “Whoa there! Take it slow, Mingyu, you just found out you like him!”

“Don’t twist my words, dummy! I just don’t get why we have to celebrate!” Mingyu huffs, swatting Minghao on the shoulder. “Why didn’t we celebrate when Wonwoo admitted he likes the new girl?”

Wonwoo clears his throat. “I only admitted it to you, Mingyu.”

“And I’m just messing with you,” Minghao adds, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “You have no idea how happy we are. ESPECIALLY ME. Do you have ANY idea how frustrated I was whenever I see you gawking at Jisoo hyung? I get distracted by your stupid face while he tutors me!”

Mingyu slaps his cheeks in frustration. “Then don’t look at me!”

Wonwoo bursts into laughter and falls onto his bed, grabbing the nearest pillow to muffle his snorts.

“You know, I just realized I’m gonna get even more distracted knowing that you’re definitely looking at Jisoo hyung and thinking about him while at it,” Minghao sighs. “But whatever. Also, is the popcorn ready, Wonwoo?”

Mingyu raises a brow and frowns. “Popcorn?!”

“Duh, you have to tell us how your walk with Jisoo hyung was! You even have his scarf again, Mingyu. I. Want. Details. And you better hurry up, since I have to go home at 8.”

“You just live next door,” Mingyu groans. “My house is a ten-minute walk.”

Minghao quickly hops to his feet and opens Wonwoo’s door after hearing three knocks, revealing Wonwoo’s brother holding a large bowl of popcorn.

“Thanks, bro,” Wonwoo says. Bohyuk only nods and closes the door, and Minghao waddles to the corner of Wonwoo’s bed with the popcorn.

Mingyu looks at the bowl with amazement. “How’d Bohyuk know you wanted popcorn?”

“I texted him,” Wonwoo replies, waving his phone in one hand. “Amazing.”

“More like lazy,” Mingyu mutters under his breath.

“Enough small talk. Details, Mingyu,” Minghao demands with a smirk before shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

* * *

Mingyu has expected Minghao to make sarcastic commentary while he bares every detail of his walk with Jisoo, but his friend remains as silent as Wonwoo. Their expressions are plain, lips pencil thin, but sheer interest glimmers in their eyes. Mingyu notices their irises shift, their eyelids squint or widen, but his focus is fixed on his memory.

He tells his best friends how he found out Jisoo's favorite musicians and his humble beginnings with the guitar and how Jisoo revealed he aspired to be a language teacher one day ("Makes sense," Mingyu hears Minghao whisper). He has learned Jisoo doesn't like frosting or icing on cake, that he used to babysit kids in his neighborhood for a few dollars back in middle school, that his nickname in his previous school and church was Joshua, that he preferred dogs over cats but his favorite emoticon resembled the latter, that his parents gave him a guinea pig for his 10th birthday after seeing Jisoo's makeshift pet rock.

Mingyu feels the smile pasted on his face. He can divulge the words he and Jisoo had spoken, but Mingyu fails to find the right ones to explain the way Jisoo's eyelashes flutter when he blinks or how bright and beautiful Jisoo's smile is. He doesn't know how to describe the shades of brown in Jisoo's eyes or the little nose crinkles Jisoo makes when he laughs.

"Earth to Mingyu,” comes Minghao’s voice. Mingyu blinks and moves back, startled at Minghao’s snapping fingers in front of his nose. He stares at his friends, both wearing bemused faces. Minghao exhales and smiles with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. “You were saying?”

Mingyu scratches his right temple, bashfully looking at them. “W-where did I stop?” he asks.

“Jisoo’s pet rock,” Wonwoo answers.

Minghao snorts. “I honestly didn’t expect Jisoo hyung to be a pet rock kind of person.”

They all laugh.

Mingyu doesn’t ask how long he’s been out of it, and he’s thankful his friends don’t use it against him for teasing.

* * *

“I want to talk to Seungcheol hyung about her.”

Mingyu’s head quickly turns and he stares at Wonwoo with wide eyes. He feigns cleaning his ear with a gloved finger before cupping a hand around it. “Did I hear you right?”

Wonwoo bites his lip and kicks a rock on the path. Mingyu’s eyes follow it, watching it stumble down the stone steps leading outside their neighborhood.

“Yeah. I thought about it,” Wonwoo replies in a soft voice.

It doesn’t take Mingyu a heartbeat to notice the uncertainty coating his friend’s words. Wonwoo is a man of few, yet meaningful words, and people concentrate too much on the spoken message he’s conveying to take notice of the emotion in his voice no matter how little the hints are. It peeves him whenever he hears people say Wonwoo’s cold appearance equates to how he speaks, especially if they don’t take their time to listen to him.

“Are you sure?” Mingyu asks. He wonders if Wonwoo’s asking himself the same question.

Wonwoo’s silence says enough for Mingyu.

“You must like her very much.”

“Yeah. I do.”

They walk down the stone steps before Wonwoo sighs. “When you admitted your feelings for Jisoo, I felt really jealous. You have the guts that I don’t.”

He can’t believe Wonwoo’s talking like this. It feels so unnatural, so different.

So wrong.

Wonwoo has always been Mingyu’s support, his source of wisdom and rationality. He pulls Mingyu back from taking unwarranted leaps and drags him back down to earth if he gets full of himself. He listens to Mingyu, regardless whether he complains, cheers, or cries. There are times Mingyu feels he doesn’t deserve such a friend, and he wishes he’ll be able to give back kindness to Wonwoo tenfold.

“Don’t be…” Mingyu whispers. “Don’t be jealous of me. I’m not brave.”

He shuts his eyes. “I’m scared. I like Jisoo hyung, and I don’t know what to do.”

“But you can talk to him,” Wonwoo answers. “I chicken out.”

“We’re both chickens, Wonwoo,” Mingyu says. “If Jisoo hyung doesn’t talk to me, I probably wouldn’t say anything. I don’t know what to say. I’m always tongue tied around him. Minghao thinks it’s abnormal for me to be tongue tied.”

Much to his surprise, a small smile graces Wonwoo’s lips. “Yeah. I guess we’re both chickens… and I don’t think I want to stay as one.”

Mingyu smirks. “Wonwoo the chicken sounds really fitting, though.”

“You know what’s fitting? You wearing Jisoo’s scarf.”

* * *

“Thank you for inviting me to eat lunch with you guys.”

Minghao isn’t kidding when he says he wants to help Mingyu out. Or, in his very gentle words, “As much as your lovesick face disgusts me, I have to get used to it.”

Said boy grins innocently at Jisoo. “It’s nothing. I wanted to treat you since I got a good grade in my last few quizzes.”

Mingyu tries to distract himself by focusing intently on his lunch, but he can’t even concentrate on the taste of his fried chicken due to the fact that Minghao slyly connived his way to seating Jisoo beside Mingyu. It’s even worse knowing that he can’t find his appetite anymore, reducing his meal merely as a necessity for nutrients and energy than being hand-in-hand with satisfying his palate.

“Nonsense. You worked hard for them,” Jisoo says.

Mingyu chews his food slowly, shooting a glare at Minghao when the boy glares back with a look that screams, “Say something, you dolt!”

“Why don’t you try tutoring for English too, Hansol?” Wonwoo asks.

“Are you kidding me? If he doesn’t like your English, he’ll call your English low quality,” Seungkwan barks, causing the entire table to erupt in laughter.

Mingyu swallows his food and covers his lips with the back of his hand, chuckling as well. Until now, Seungkwan is bitter from the incident back in middle school where Hansol joked about Seungkwan’s English while they practiced for a class skit. Mingyu just so happened to be one of the lucky students to witness this, and he ended up on the floor laughing with Jihoon and Chan.

“That was middle school, Seungkwan,” Hansol replies calmly, holding a piece of kimchi up with his chopsticks.

“By the way, isn’t Jeonghan hyung going to look for you? You usually eat lunch with him,” chirps Jun.

Jisoo shakes his head. “Seungcheol called for a lunch meeting for the class officers so Jeonghan has his hands full.”

“That explains why Soonyoung isn’t here,” Wonwoo mumbles.

“Hey, Mingyu, are you gonna eat that?” Seokmin calls from across the table. Mingyu stares at his plate and sighs – he barely touched his food, and they have been sitting for almost ten minutes already.

“Don’t be a hungry horse, Seokmin,” Seungkwan says, smirking.

While everyone else cheers while Seokmin impersonates a horse, Mingyu feels a soft nudge on his left shoulder.

“You feeling okay?”

Mingyu slowly nods, feeling butterflies in his stomach again.

“Eat, Mingyu,” Jisoo says. His expression moves from serious to warm. “Chicken heals our hearts.”

Wonwoo’s right. Jisoo’s humor is strange, but Mingyu still ends up giggling for this very fact.

* * *

 

_“Sorry, we have a meeting for dance club today.”_

_“I’m going to talk to Seungcheol hyung. I’ll tell you about it later.”_

 

While yesterday’s excuses have been little fibs, Mingyu finds himself side by side with Jisoo again today due to valid excuses from both Minghao and Wonwoo.

“Hyung, don’t you want your scarf back?” Mingyu asks. He still feels flustered with how Jisoo had lent it to him yesterday after seeing Mingyu rub or cover his neck with his hands for warmth.

“You said you don’t have a scarf, right?” Jisoo asks. Mingyu nods, wondering if Jisoo finds it strange that he lacks one of the clothing items he actually needs to survive winter every year. But then, Mingyu never had a problem with his trusty hoodies and jackets. If their school isn’t too strict and grandiose with their dress code (which, much to Mingyu’s frustration, has given him five sets of uniforms, exclusive of gym uniforms), he’d wear his favorite hoodie to school in a heartbeat.

“Keep it until you get one,” Jisoo continues, smiling. “I several more.”

“But you aren’t wearing one right now,” Mingyu remarks, glancing at Jisoo’s bare neck for a short moment before his eyes shift to the blue ribbon.

“I’m used to colder weather,” the older boy admits, shrugging. “It’s not as cold compared to a few days ago.”

Mingyu looks at him in confusion. From what he feels, it’s much colder today than yesterday, or the day before.

“You’re weird, hyung,” slips off his tongue, and Mingyu slaps his hands over his mouth at the realization that Jisoo has heard him.

Jisoo giggles in response, throwing Mingyu even more off guard. “I know. I’ve known ever since I stuck googly eyes on a rock and called it a pet,” he snickers. “Do you think you’re weird, Mingyu?”

“Seven questions, hyung.” Mingyu says. “And… yeah. I find myself weird because my skin is darker than the norm here.”

Jisoo’s smile quickly drops. “That’s not a reason to find yourself weird, Mingyu.”

Mingyu’s eyes widen. Jisoo’s voice is firm, almost scolding, like the tone he uses for Jeonghan when he lazes off for an errand or for Seungcheol when he tries to cut classes to play basketball. “Your complexion doesn’t make you weird. No, really, Mingyu, your skin tone isn’t dark at all either. And you have no idea how many people pay good money just to change their skin tone into a color like yours.”

He’s at a loss of words when he feels soft fingers take his hand and squeeze it gently. “Your complexion is lovely, Mingyu. Don’t you ever think otherwise.”

All Mingyu does is nod while he tries to process how Jisoo has called out one of his shallow insecurities. No one has really insulted Mingyu for his skin tone, but some people have raised it as a topic of discussion that made Mingyu feel uncomfortable and, if he’s having a bad day, belittled.

And in front of him is kind Jisoo telling him his skin tone is nothing to worry about. Jisoo, who has seen the world through both Eastern and Western eyes, telling him his skin tone is lovely.

Little jitters flutter in his chest and remain there even when Jisoo lets go of Mingyu’s hand. “I’d consider your left-handedness weirder, honestly, and that too is pretty common.”

* * *

**From: Thughao (8:07 PM)**

**just send him a fucking text mingyu, he won’t bite**

 

**To: Thughao (8:07 PM)**

**do your parents know you use korean to curse more than to be polite?**

 

**From: Thughao (8:08 PM)**

**stop stalling and just ask him already, dummy**

 

**From: Thughao (8:08 PM)**

**and excuse me i’m really polite. i just choose to have spicier vocabulary**

 

**To: Jisoo (8:16 PM)**

**jisoo hyung?**

 

Mingyu throws his phone across the futon he’s sitting on and buries his face on a pillow.

“It took you eight minutes to text, and that’s all you said,” Wonwoo says, tone very unimpressed. “I’m telling Minghao.”

Mingyu glares at him and counters, “Yeah, well we’re two hours into our sleepover and you still haven’t told me what Seungcheol hyung told you.”

Wonwoo pauses his game and drops his console controller. “It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. He said yeah, he likes her, and he doesn’t want us to hate each other, but he won’t back down in courting her.”

“Courting? Immediately?” Mingyu looks doubtful. He honestly hasn’t seen or heard about Seungcheol interact with the girl at all.

“Yeah. Which is why I’ll court her too,” Wonwoo answers. “I don’t want to regret seeing her with someone else one day knowing I didn’t try.”

His phone vibrates loudly before he can tell Wonwoo that he has all Mingyu’s support. Wonwoo smiles and tosses the phone back to Mingyu. “I’ll tell you more about it later. I have a game, you have a text.”

Mingyu doesn’t need to be told twice. His fingers fumble around his lock screen and gets his pattern code wrong three times.

 

**From: Jisoo (8:19 PM)**

**yes? ^ω^**

* * *

 

Club meetings and activities are often held during Saturdays, but it's Mingyu's first time to walk to school on such a day. He doesn't have a club despite all the recruiting tried on him last year, but he isn't alone. Hansol and Wonwoo haven’t joined in clubs either, but they have their little unofficial online book club to preoccupy them. Seungcheol isn't in one too, but he does have the honor of being the class president.

He's only off to school because Soonyoung has invited them to their dance club practice, since he wants to get input for choreography they just made. It's for a competition, he had explained, for a chance to take three hip hop dance classes of renowned dancers who choreograph for some Korean pop music groups.

"Aren't those really expensive?" Mingyu asks.

"Which is why it's a contest prize. Whoever wins gets free class," Wonwoo replies. "I saw stars in Soonyoung's eyes when he told me about it."

When they arrive in the classroom, Mingyu spots Jihoon watching Soonyoung warm up in front of the mirrors padding the room's walls. Hansol is at the corner of the room with headphones on, but his eyes are fixed on Soonyoung’s stretching form. Seungcheol, meanwhile, is having a laugh at Seungkwan’s and Seokmin’s exaggerated dancing to the girl group song playing in the background.

Mingyu follows Wonwoo beside Jihoon, noticing Seungcheol glance at them for a short moment. Wonwoo’s upper body is leaning forward, almost as if he’s using Jihoon to block himself from sight. Seungcheol exhales and turns away, and Mingyu places a hand on Wonwoo’s back.

“He’s not looking anymore,” is what Mingyu almost says. Almost, because Jihoon has beaten him to it with a cautious whisper.

Wonwoo sits up straight but keeps his face buried in his palms. Mingyu doesn’t try to pry Wonwoo’s hands away. He watches Seokmin and Seungkwan wiggle around mindlessly, the latter now singing along with the music.

Soonyoung grins and holds his pose, a forward lunge with his arms on his right knee. “You guys would make great additions to the dance club,” he laughs.

“Don’t go stealing my club members, Soonyoung,” Jihoon suddenly interjects.

Laughter bubbling from Seokmin’s throat fade and lyrics stop escaping from Seungkwan’s lips. Mingyu holds back a shocked gasp as Soonyoung slowly turns at their direction. The boy blinks before breaking his stance, dusting his plain white shirt as he stands up straight.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Jihoon,” Soonyoung answers with a smile. “I was only kidding.”

His voice is as light as ever, but his eyes remind Mingyu of the Soonyoung he had seen when his club lost Jihoon and Hansol. They aren’t as sad as they used to appear, but Mingyu sees a new emotion behind them. He sees hurt and confusion linger behind what seems to be bitterness. The two-membered departure is never a topic that has been brought up for a long time by Jihoon and Soonyoung themselves, almost as though they pretend every single day that they never have danced together. Mingyu really can’t blame Soonyoung for the passive-aggressive retort.

“Doesn’t Seungkwannie want to be TV star, though?” Seungcheol asks, cutting through the awkward air enveloping everyone. “Make him join the drama club too.”

Seungkwan quickly entertains the idea (genuinely or not, Mingyu isn’t sure), and the room gets filled with comfort-inducing chatters between him and Seungcheol. Seokmin begins changing the song on the laptop, flipping through songs after letting them play for at most five seconds. Mingyu peeks at Jihoon, finding the older boy flipping through his phone with his trademark serious expression.

Minghao arrives a few minutes after, claiming he had woken up early but dropped by Jun’s dorm room first. “He overslept,” he grumbles, rolling his eyes. “He’s probably finished with his shower now, though. Said he’ll be here in a while.”

Jeonghan arrives next with Chan, and Mingyu can guess Jeonghan has been teasing Chan with the way the younger boy glares at the floor. Jun follows after ten minutes and asks why the others didn’t wait for him before they did warm ups.

That leaves Jisoo, and Mingyu feels antsy. He watches the wall clock’s hands tick around and into circles, fighting the urge to check the door. He shouldn’t be this desperate to see Jisoo, even if he has a crush on him.

He really isn’t, Mingyu’s sure. It must be because everyone else is here and Jisoo shouldn’t miss out on this, especially after he confirmed he’ll be here today. Mingyu had asked him last night while they were texting.

He rests his cheek on his palm, the heat of his cheeks warming his hand. He had texted last night to ask Jisoo how he should wash the scarf, and he didn’t expect them to exchange dozens of messages afterwards. Thankfully, Wonwoo had been too busy playing videogames to notice Mingyu bounce on the bed in excitement every time he receives a reply, because Mingyu’s sure a spring or two might have gotten damaged.

“Whassup, my brothers!” comes a voice from the other end of the classroom, and Mingyu turns his head so fast he feels his neck muscles stretch uncomfortably.

“Argh!” Mingyu yelps, slapping a hand immediately on his neck. Jisoo stares at him wide-eyed from the doorway. Meanwhile, Mingyu can hear Wonwoo snicker softly beside him.

 “Uh… you okay, Mingyu?” Chan asks. Beside him, Minghao is giving Mingyu an unimpressed stare. If anyone pays attention to him, they will see Minghao’s very slow head shaking.

His eyes don’t tear away from Jisoo, who’s slowly walking towards his direction. “I’m fine, I just hurt my neck,” he explains, pulling on a very small.

“Are you sure?” Jisoo asks, eyebrows furrowed together. Mingyu only nods, mentally panicking with how he embarrassed himself and with how Jisoo is only three feet away from him.

“Jisoo must’ve surprised him,” Jeonghan remarks, humored. “Tsk tsk.”

Jisoo quickly rushes to Jeonghan’s side and whacks him once. “You’re just jealous of my English.”

“I think we all are, Jisoo hyung,” Seokmin chirps with a grin. “Well, maybe except Hansol.”

Everyone resumes talking, but Mingyu pouts to himself and stares at the wall clock again, wishing he can turn back time to stop himself from looking like an idiot.

* * *

Even with the brief conflict earlier, Soonyoung listens intently to Jihoon as the latter explains his thoughts on their current choreography. Mingyu watches them converse casually as he eats his chicken burger, amazed at how they bury the hatchet so easily. But a part of him feels anxious, wondering how they both feel for having to pretend their issues about the dance club are nonexistent.

He shifts his focus when Jihoon almost catches him overhearing them. While Jihoon probably won’t scold him for it, Mingyu doesn’t want to seem like a snooper. It proves to be difficult, considering he has no one to talk to in the room. Minghao, Jun, and Chan are practicing their footwork in front of the mirrors, and behind them is Seokmin imitating them out of pure interest in the dance. Seungkwan and Vernon are talking while chomping down on their own burgers. Mingyu can see Seungcheol playing basketball alone through the window, and he remembers Jeonghan pulling Jisoo outside the classroom about half an hour ago. He tries not to think too much about it.

Wonwoo has left the room ever since he has seen the girl pass by the classroom earlier. He had told Mingyu to keep mum and even made him promise. _Ridiculous_ , Mingyu thinks. As if he’d tell anyone. And besides, the only other person he’d tell is too busy to pay attention to them.

Mingyu crumples the burger wrapper and grabs his second burger placed on his bag. Soonyoung had offered to treat everyone with burgers to thank them for coming, and Mingyu shamelessly ordered three to check if Soonyoung would tell him to get one only.

“Three burgers, huh?”

He pauses midbite, watching the balled wrapper beside him get picked up and be replaced by Jisoo.

“They taste really good, right?”

Mingyu bites down his burger and nods slowly, thankful that his mouth is too full of food for him to speak. He opts to chew slowly so he won’t have to talk until he actually knows what to say.

“I only ordered one, but I wish I got two instead. They taste really great!” Jisoo laughs.

Mingyu’s free hand quickly grabs his third burger on his bag and places it on Jisoo’s lap. The older boy stares at him in surprise.

“You ordered this for yourself, Mingyu,” he says. “I couldn’t.”

Mingyu shakes his head. “You have it, hyung. I’m already getting full from this one.”

Rather, he’s losing his appetite again slowly from Jisoo’s presence, but the other boy doesn’t have to know about that.

Jisoo unwraps the burger slowly, eyeing down Mingyu suspiciously. “Hmm… maybe you put something in this.”

“N-no, of course not, Jisoo hyung,” Mingyu replies, bowing his head. Does he look like that kind of troublemaker?

“Oh, oh no, you’re pouting. I’m only joking, Mingyu,” Jisoo assures, patting his shoulder. “I’ll pay you back.”

“No need, really,” Mingyu says, smiling. “It’s… uh, a thank you for being so nice to me. Especially for letting me borrow your scarf.”

He doesn’t expect Jisoo to flash his widest grin. “If that’s the case, I’ll get you something in return.”

Mingyu’s heart does somersaults, making him completely unaware of Minghao secretly taking pictures from afar.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu drops a bag of almonds because of Jisoo. 
> 
> Wonwoo and Seungcheol's battle for the girl's heart has finally begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgive me for updating late, i have a thesis to finish bc graduation is like three months away XD thank you to everyone who read the last chapters! thanks for the kudos and bookmarks too <3 and shoutout to brookwan for leaving a comment again :') thank you for always staying tuned!
> 
> this is full of minshua fluff i'm not joking. this is only the start of minshua fluff. also i really love honey almonds! i bought a lot when i was in korea XD

Mingyu and Wonwoo usually meet in front of the neighborhood convenience store if they have agreed to walk together to school the night before. Mingyu’s stopover to the store today, however, is solely to purchase four bags of honey-coated almonds, and he proceeds to stuff three in his bag and open the last as he heads back outside. Since he’s walking alone today, Mingyu decides a delicious light snack is the best company to have.

He pulls down the part of Jisoo’s scarf covering his mouth before pouring several pieces of almonds in his mouth from the snack bag, savoring the mild tang of sweet honey before chewing down. The weather is getting colder, opting Mingyu to wear his gloves once he finishes this bag of almonds. He doesn’t want his gloves to get sticky nor get traces of fine fiber on his food.

A part of him wishes he had brought his earphones today. But he resigns the regret, since he gets to appreciate the scenery while walking without music distracting or influencing his thoughts. He takes in the baby blue of the sky and the smooth of the pavement, the variety the houses and the mixed scents of food stalls. He spots a playground behind the fence of a small pre-school, smiling at the little children running around together to the slides and others jumping and rolling in the sandbox.

He quickly walks down the stone steps leading outside their neighborhood, seeing students in different uniforms walking ahead. He wonders if Minghao’s already in school, since they never have walked together on mornings. Now that he thinks about it, it’s strange considering they still live in the same neighborhood, and yet he has only walked with Wonwoo.

Jisoo’s also in the same neighborhood, Mingyu realizes, but he’s another matter, another story.

He pours down more almonds in his mouth, trying to shake off his focus on his quickening heartbeats. It feels different have a crush on Jisoo and to actually know he has a crush on the older boy. He can dismiss the heat on his cheeks or his heartbeat skipping before, staying ignorant to the blossoming affection planted in his heart.

“Boo!”

Two hands quickly fall on his shoulders, hold heavy, as his hairs stand on end, goosebumps prickling on his limbs. He lets out a surprised, “Argh!” and jumps, hands shaking. His eyes widen, first in shock, now from the horror of watching his half-full bag of almonds fall onto the pavement.

“M-my food!” he shrieks, voice cracking. He turns around with an annoyed expression, ready to tell off whoever caused him to lose his snack, and–

“J-Jisoo hyung?!” Mingyu yelps, covering his mouth. His face quickly feels hotter, and he pulls the scarf back up to cover his mouth.

Jisoo’s smile quickly falls into a worried look. “Oh my… I’m so, so sorry Mingyu. I didn’t know you had a snack with you,” he says with furrowed brows, lips curled downwards in guilt.

Mingyu quickly shakes his head and hands. “No, no, no, no, no, no! It’s fine, Jisoo hyung! Really!”

Even with his upset expression, Jisoo raises a brow, skeptic. “Are you sure? You looked ready to punch me.” Mingyu bites his lip – he doesn’t intend to punch Jisoo at all! Is this going to leave a lasting impression of his character on Jisoo?

“I was just surprised, that’s all!” Mingyu replies, his voice pitches higher. Jisoo doesn’t look convinced.

“It’s fine, Mingyu,” Jisoo continues, huffing an exhale. “I shouldn’t have scared you like that.”

Before Mingyu could part his lips, Jisoo continues, “I’m not even sure if we’re close enough for me to do that.”

The words in his mind dissolve. Jisoo thinks of that?

“I think we are…?” Mingyu squeaks. “I mean… we borrow each other’s clothes.”

Jisoo smiles, but both his eyebrows raise in surprise.

“I-I mean! Your scarf, my gloves! Also, you know some of my embarrassing childhood stories!” he adds. If only he can cover his entire face with the scarf, since he’s pretty sure his face matches a tomato’s color.

“Fair enough,” Jisoo laughs. “I’ll just make sure you aren’t eating anything or holding any fragile things if I plan to surprise you.”

“That kinda ruins the surprise, hyung,” Mingyu says.

“You’d be surprised with my ninja skills. I’m awesome that way,” Jisoo replies, grinning. Mingyu smiles widely, sure that his grin is peeking out of the scarf. Jisoo is more casual around him now, and he’s actually seeing this… dorkier side of him.

“You’re awesome, hyung,” Mingyu sighs softly. Jisoo doesn’t hear him as he squats down and starts picking up the almonds Mingyu dropped.

Mingyu bends down and begins helping the other boy. “Lucky most of them fell in clumps.”

“I still feel bad, you know,” Jisoo says. “You gave me your burger last time, and now I made you drop food. I really have to pay you back.”

He wants to say no, that Jisoo doesn’t have to, that he still has three bags of the same snack, but Mingyu keeps to himself as he throws almonds in the now-empty snack bag. As petty as it is, this is one chance for Mingyu to get something close to a gift from Jisoo. He hopes his smile isn’t too obvious, and he pulls up the scarf even more for precautionary measure.

* * *

Mingyu, in all honesty, still doesn’t realize he ends up gazing at Jisoo. He falls into a daze while his mind replays the words they had exchanged this morning, his heart aflutter and curious. What will Jisoo give him? On their walk to school, Jisoo had claimed it to be a surprise. “Still food,” he had said with a smirk, “But a surprise.”

He only cuts away from his daze when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. His face burns when he sees a message from Minghao, letters capitalized.

 

**From: Thughao (11:54 AM)**

**ISTG YOUR EYES HAVE BEEN FUCKING GLUED TO JISOO HYUNG FOR IDK 10 MINUTES? YOUR STUPID FACE IS DISTRACTING ME IT’S SO ANNOYING**

 

Mingyu sinks lower on his chair when he sees Minghao shooting a wide-eyed, disappointed look at him. His feet accidentally hit the back legs of Jihoon’s chair in front of him, and the shorter boy turns around. Seungkwan follows suit, confused.

“What are you doing?” Jihoon asks, looking more annoyed than confused.

“I’m… uh, kinda bored,” Mingyu replies. “And I wanted to stretch my legs.”

He swears Jihoon’s eyebrow twitched slightly. “You can also stretch your legs by standing. We’re all walking to the cafeteria in a few anyway,” Jihoon replies, and he quickly turns around again. Seungkwan, still looking at Mingyu, wears a bemused expression. His attention then shifts to Mingyu’s right, and Mingyu turns his head to see Seokmin sit on his desk.

“What are you doing here?” Mingyu asks.

Seokmin grins and pulls out a yellow paper airplane from underneath his coat. “Wanted to test this plane! I don’t want to hit the girls, so… yeah, your place is the best place to try it in!”

“You can always go outside,” Seungkwan adds.

“Seungkwannie, most of the students are walking to the cafeteria! Seriously, I’m not gonna lose my paper airplane in a sea of people,” Seokmin retorted.

Seungcheol, who is seated now beside Hansol and behind Minghao, snorts as he tosses the basketball in his hand upwards. “As if it would fly.”

Mingyu grabs the book on his table and laughs, covering his face with it. He notices Seokmin’s ears redden. “Oh yeah?”

He watches Seokmin throw the plane, moving only his hand and his wrist. The plane darts upward and curves downward in a few seconds, headed straight to the ground with its body tumbling and rotating. It narrowly misses Minghao’s hair, which Mingyu would have laughed at and pointed out if not for the sound of something hitting a table.

Everyone’s eyes turn to the girls’ side of the room, and a wrapped snack is seen on the table of Wonwoo’s crush as Wonwoo himself passes by it. The room is dead silent now, and Mingyu glances at his best friend. Wonwoo stares at the girls, all huddled together and looking at the sandwich, and nervously scratches the back of his head with one hand and holds up a small carton of milk in the other. Mingyu turns to Seungcheol, wearing an annoyed look while staring at Wonwoo. He feels his stomach lurch from the unwanted conflict growing between them.

Wonwoo passes by the girl’s table again, placing the carton of milk on her table before walking out of the classroom like it was nothing.

Soonyoung suddenly claps loudly and hollers an "Oho!!!" while standing up, catching everyone's attention. Jeonghan and Jun both raise their arms and cheer loudly, while Minghao stands and bites his thumbnail as he checks what Wonwoo gave the girl. Chan turns away from the girls and covers his grin with the collar of his coat, while Jihoon, Seungkwan, and Seokmin laugh in delight. Hansol, meanwhile, is sitting and sleeping with his headphones on, completely unaware of what just happened.

Mingyu stands up to do the same as Minghao, checking what Wonwoo gave, before his attention gets stolen by the wide grin Jisoo's wearing. He doesn't laugh or cheer like the others, but he looks just as amused as Chan.

He smiles to himself as he realizes how bright and even Jisoo's teeth are.

Mingyu gets distracted with Seokmin's loud giggling and snorting. He watches Seokmin lightly smack Seungcheol with his fist as Hansol finally wakes up and removes his earphones.

"What's going on?" Mingyu hears Hansol ask Seungcheol, but Seungcheol's attention was completely on Seokmin. He smacks Seokmin's arm away and glares at him with a sour face. He probably feels betrayed, Mingyu thinks, as Seokmin's expression drops immediately and he bows his head in shame.

Without being completely aware of it, Mingyu shoots a glare at Seungcheol. He doesn’t like how Seungcheol sent a foul look at Wonwoo, and now he’s being unnecessarily irritated at Seokmin too. He rolls his eyes and glances at Minghao, whose attention is on the ruckus behind him. Hansol still looks confused, and Minghao takes the liberty to explain what happened. Mingyu then looks at Jisoo and holds his breath, surprised the older boy is looking back at him with a weak smile.

Jisoo must have noticed Mingyu's unease, and it gives Mingyu comfort.

* * *

“You the man, Wonwoo! You the man!”

“Cut it out, Soonyoung,” Wonwoo grumbles, poking his lunch with a chopstick. “I don’t want to remember what I did.”

“That’s impossible to forget, Wonwoo hyung,” Chan chirps. “It’s really brave of you.”

Wonwoo directs a small smile at the youngest boy. “Thanks. It means a lot to me.”

Mingyu continues eating, unsure of what to say. He feels that Wonwoo’s waiting for someone to voluntarily tell him what the girl’s reaction had been earlier. Mingyu himself wants to know, and he would have found out earlier if not for Jisoo’s bedazzling smile. It’s better this way, however, since Mingyu doesn’t want to be the bearer of bad news if the girl’s reaction had been indifference or something worse.

He looks at Minghao across the table, but the Chinese boy doesn’t budge at all. He knows Minghao had seen the girl’s reaction, since Minghao expressed more curiosity than Mingyu ever did when they discuss about the girl. They had exchanged texts, talking about Wonwoo’s chances, and Minghao openly expressed to Mingyu his disapproval of Wonwoo’s decision.

“Courting someone out of pressure is not going to end well,” Minghao had said.

“She looked happy,” Soonyoung says confidently. “I saw. The other girls look impressed too. Maybe by the end of the week, they’re going to be rivals for you!”

Jun rolls his eyes. “This isn’t a webcomic or a manhwa, Soonyoung.”

“Be a dear and help us boost Wonwoo’s esteem, Jun,” Soonyoung retorts. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for him to like someone.”

“That could be taken out of context,” Jun replies. Chan ends up giggling with his mouth full.

Mingyu remains silent throughout the whole conversation and feels relieved Soonyoung had decided to eat with them. Wonwoo’s still embarrassed, but at least he’s smiling because of Soonyoung’s efforts to cheer him up. A part of him feels jealous that Soonyoung is doing a better job than him in boosting Wonwoo’s morale. He, who’s supposedly Wonwoo’s best friend, is just eating and observing them.

He sighs and glances at the other tables, his worries scuttling to the back of his mind when he sees Jisoo happily conversing with Hansol, Seungkwan, and Jihoon.

* * *

At the end of class, Minghao pulls Mingyu and Wonwoo outside the classroom while everyone else is listening to Seungcheol make an announcement. Mingyu thought it was a matter of urgency until Minghao opens his mouth.

“Why didn’t you tell me you walked with Jisoo hyung on the way here?” Minghao snaps.

Mingyu quickly buries his face in his hands. “Would it kill you to be quiet, Minghao?”

Wonwoo blinks. “So that’s why you were sitting beside each other this morning.”

Minghao’s eyes are even more livid. “What?! Seriously?! Why were you in your seat when I arrived?!”

“Because Jeonghan hyung wanted to talk to Jisoo hyung. I went back to my seat,” Mingyu answers in a whisper. “Please lower your voice.”

“Fuck no!” Minghao screeches. “You should have told him to get lost! He hogs Jisoo hyung all the time just to make Jisoo hyung do his errands. If you won’t do it, I will!”

The classroom door suddenly swings open. Jihoon is first to exit, giving the three boys a tired look. “Basketball game on Wednesday is cancelled.”

“That’s the big announcement? What a relief,” Minghao exhales.

“It’s pretty obvious anyway since the principal announced a weeklong renovation of the basketball court,” Jihoon says.

“At least it’s not about someone stealing from the class funds again,” Wonwoo commented. “It was a–“

Wonwoo suddenly turns around, and the other three find themselves watching the girl tug on Wonwoo’s sleeve while the boy turns beet red.

“Hey, Wonwoo,” she begins. Minghao slowly retreats, pulling Mingyu away from the scene. Jihoon smirks and walks with them.

“I wanted to hear what she’s going to say,” Mingyu whispers, pouting.

“Let them be,” Jihoon says. “Unless, you’re interested in her too?”

Mingyu and Minghao gape at Jihoon. Where is this coming from?

Minghao glances at Mingyu with a confused look, then back at Jihoon. Mingyu can’t even grasp why Jihoon would say such a thing. As Wonwoo’s best friend, the last thing he wants to do is rival him for the girl’s heart. A girl whose name he can’t remember, even! He had never laid his eyes on the girl or even talked to her. And why should he, if his interest is faithfully on Jisoo only?

“Uh… what…?” Mingyu mumbles.

Jihoon shrugs. “She looks like your type.”

Minghao snorts. “She’s far from his type, hyung. Believe me.”

Right on cue, Jisoo emerges from the classroom, rummaging his messenger bag. Mingyu doesn’t want to assume, but the older boy seems to be walking towards their direction.

He feels a light nudge on his arm, one hundred percent sure it’s from Minghao. Jisoo’s attention moves from his bag and right to Mingyu, his slim fingers fixing his blue ribbon.

“Hey, guys! What’s cracking?” Jisoo laughs. Jihoon simply raises a brow at him. “Gosh, Jihoon, lighten up.”

“I will once I get some sleep. Bye.” Jihoon waves once at them and turns by his heel, walking away.

“That was weird,” Minghao mused.

“I think he’s just overwhelmed with everything that happened today,” Jisoo says. “By the way, Minghao, is it okay if I borrow Mingyu from you and Wonwoo this afternoon?”

Minghao’s jaw drops once again. His eyes meet with Mingyu’s, not even hiding his delight at the unfolding situation. The Chinese boy chuckles and pats Mingyu’s back a little too painfully, causing Mingyu to wince.

“Borrow him every afternoon if you want, hyung. We’re getting tired of him. Can’t stop barking,” Minghao chimes, grinning mischievously.

Mingyu frowns. “The feeling is mutual. You guys don’t feed me,” he grumbles, earning a soft snort from Jisoo.

“A puppy is a big responsibility,” Jisoo adds. Mingyu wonders why he lets Minghao torment him like this, but he tries his best to be a good sport in front of Jisoo. “Will you pay me for taking care of him?”

Minghao’s grin grows wider, his upper teeth biting his lower lip. “A bar of chocolate a day?” he bargains.

“Wait, is this for real?!” Mingyu cries. Jisoo bursts out laughing, clutching his abdomen, while Minghao rolls his eyes. “Unfair! You’d give Jisoo hyung food but not me?”

“Of course we’re just joking, Gyu,” Minghao groans. He turns to Jisoo and smiles. “But really, hyung. Soonyoung hyung wants our club to practice more, so I won’t be going home early starting this week. As for Wonwoo hyung…”

They all turn, spotting Wonwoo standing by the girl as she talks to the other girls.

“I see,” Jisoo nods. It’s only now Mingyu realizes Wonwoo’s going to work hard to get the girl. “Leave it to me. It’s fun walking home with Mingyu anyway.”

Mingyu scratches the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly at the ground. Minghao, ever the wingman.

* * *

Mingyu pulls off his gloves and stuffs them in his uniform coat pocket, scanning the quaint café Jisoo brought him into. It’s not far from their neighborhood, hidden behind clothes shops and a ramen restaurant that he has never visited yet. The aroma of coffee wafts throughout the café, strong enough for Mingyu to feel more alert. He twiddles his thumbs underneath the table, eyes trained on his cup of barley tea. Jisoo is sitting across him, sipping his own cup of the same drink.

“You really didn’t have to, Jisoo hyung,” Mingyu says, breaking the silence between them. Jisoo only smiles, placing down his cup.

“I want to,” Jisoo answers. “And think of this as a new step in our friendship.”

“Friendship,” Mingyu repeats in a soft voice.

“We haven’t really talked last year,” Jisoo continues. “You were always with Minghao and Wonwoo, sometimes with Seokmin. I didn’t really know what to say when we had the chance to talk.”

“Me either,” Mingyu confesses, staring back at his cup. “I mean, you’re such a cool guy, hyung. Which is why everyone wants to talk to you. It’s hard getting near you, especially because you’re always with Jeonghan hyung and Seungcheol hyung. Seokmin and Seungkwan love you a lot too.”

Jisoo laughs. “Am I cool because I speak English fluently?”

Mingyu nods. “Yeah. I wish I could speak English like you.”

“I could teach you, if you want,” Jisoo offers. Mingyu glances at him in awe, feeling his face heat up again at the sight of the older boy’s doe eyes and small smile.

“R-really?” Mingyu stammers. He’s too afraid to ask Jisoo straightforwardly if he can join Minghao in his lessons, but now the opportunity is right in front of him. He doesn’t know how to calm his heart, and he hopes he can keep up a cool façade despite this.

“Sure!” Jisoo says. “It’ll be fun. And when you improve, you can charm the pants off of anyone.”

“I don’t think I want to literally charm people’s pants off. But I hope I improve,” he snorts.

“Of course you will. I’m a good teacher,” Jisoo remarks smugly, raising his cup. “I mean, I’m doing well tutoring Minghao with Hangul and English.”

“I know, I know,” Mingyu says in English, earning a humored look from Jisoo. “He always brags about it.”

“You can brag back after,” Jisoo laughs.

“But is it really okay for you? To tutor me?” Mingyu asks. He doesn’t want to eat up Jisoo’s time if the older boy has other things to do.

Jisoo gives him a small smile. “Don’t worry about it, Mingyu. I want to, and it’s a good way to study. We can be study buddies if you want! And besides, your English pronunciation is decent. You just need more practice.”

Mingyu doesn’t plan to say no. This is too good to pass up, but the words are all jumbled in his mind again. “T-thank you,” is all he says, but Jisoo looks more than satisfied with his answer. 

“Here are your cake slices, sirs!” comes the waiter’s voice, and Mingyu glances at the man standing by their table. He watches the waiter place a strawberry cheesecake slice in front of Jisoo, and gasps when he receives a plate with a slice of chocolate cake.

“Thank you,” Jisoo calls as he places a fork on Mingyu’s side of the table. The waiter sends them a nod and leaves to the counter again.

Jisoo nods while wiping his fork with a tissue. “Eat up, Mingyu.”

He watches Jisoo clap his hands together for a short prayer before cutting a small piece of his cheesecake. His appetite is almost nonexistent, and all he wants to do is listen to Jisoo talk and laugh. But at the same time, he really wants to savor the food Jisoo treated him with. Maybe he can return the favor slowly by giving him one pack of honey almonds he bought earlier.

Before stabbing his cake with a fork, he silently thanks his morning gluttony and clumsiness, for he wouldn’t be eating with Jisoo here if he didn’t drop a bag of almonds this morning.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i have this up on aff too so you can find it in the minshua tag. please stay tuned for the next chapters ^_^


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